Make a Treasure
by roe2
Summary: In which plain, smart-ish and 'rather normal' Shiraishi Yukari proves herself. Kenya/Yukari. Shitenhouji-centric. CH13: Two spots unexpectedly open up just in time for Kansai Regionals. Meanwhile, the aloof Kurosugi goes over the edge. ON HIATUS.
1. Starting Point

_**Disclaimer: **__This goes for this chapter and for all chapters to follow. I do not own The Prince of Tennis (テニスの王子様_ _). The only one rolling in money here is Konomi-Takeshi-sensei. _( :3 \ /)_ _

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**chapter ONE: Starting Point**

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_"It's never too late to be who you might have been."_

_—George Eliot_

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The uniform wasn't the most flattering of colors, but it fit her well enough. Shiraishi Yukari placed a hand above her waist and beamed at the full-length mirror. First impressions made a lasting impact so Yukari wanted to look presentable.

"Yukari?"

"Kuuchan?!" Yukari whirled around to find her brother checking up on her. She made a grab for the nearest object she could find and threw it at the intruder. "Perv! Knock first, you idiot!"

The boy closed the door before the teddy bear could hit him, then opened it again. "I knocked about 3 times, but you wouldn't answer."

"W-Well!" Yukari crossed her arms."You should've called out to me instead then!"

"Got it, sorry." Shiraishi Kuranosuke dipped his head in apology. "Ah, but Yukari I am so glad you're attending Shitenhouji with me for high school. I look forward to going to school with you every morning."

"That makes one of us," Yukari muttered, lightly kicking his shins.

"Shitenhouji's not that bad," Shiraishi offered as he patted his sister's head. "You'll like it there, trust me."

The brunette pouted. It's not that she was averse to the idea of switching schools to be with her brother. She was only upset because she thought she would graduate from Namba Jyogakuin, the same school her older sister and mother attended when they were her age. Last winter, the all-girls academy declared bankruptcy and decided to close its doors after 60 years of operation.

"Which club are you considering joining?" Shiraishi asked as they headed downstairs.

Their mother appeared from the entrance of the kitchen. "Come on Kuranosuke, don't pressure Yukari." Her brown eyes swept over her daughter. "Have fun in your new school, dear. High school is the most exciting time for all."

Yukari made a two finger salute. "Don't worry okaasan. I'll make the most out of it!"

"That's my girl." She passed them two bento boxes before opening the door. "Have a safe trip, you two!"

"We're off!" The Shiraishi siblings exclaimed in unison as they stepped out, vibrant pink sakura petals dancing around to greet them.

— ()—() —() —

It was the first day of the school year. The freshmen stood next to each other during the entrance ceremony, the mix of their excitement and anxiety almost palpable. The headmaster, Mwangie Shitenhosie, was already 5 minutes in on a speech that could've put an elephant to sleep. Just as Yukari was considering the consequences of slipping out of her line, a loud sound brought her back to her senses.

"Oh dear." Shitenhosie used a handkerchief to wipe his forehead. "It appears I am in quite a pickle."

To Yukari's shock, what followed was a sequence of farting noise. After a few more notes, she realized that the melody was exactly the same as Shitenhouji's school anthem!

"What," Yukari clutched her stomach in between rounds of laughter, "is… _this_ ?"

The ridiculous notion of a respected old man throwing away his pride and image for entertainment made Yukari laugh like never before. In fact, most of the students were already in stitches even before the end of the hailed performance.

"There now!" Shitenhosie made a grand gesture, his arms stretched wide open. "Don't we all need a tension release?" He paused to let the students catch their breaths. "My dear children, dare to be different! Here in Shitenhouji, we are all dedicated to crafting an environment that addresses each student's unique learning style!" The old man smiled. "May you all be happy and free every day like a child immersed in play."

Yukari nodded, finding herself in agreement. Maybe Shitenhouji won't be that bad after all.

— ()—() —() —

"Classroom 1-4 is this way." A senior girl with thick glasses and unruly blonde hair guided Yukari and the other new students along the crowded hallway. A few of them have already clustered together, especially the girls who were animatedly talking about their hopes for a rose-colored high school life.

"They say Shitenhouji has a wide variety of sports clubs," one girl excitedly informed. "And _very handsome_ players." This prompted a giggling spree from the group.

"Do you think we can catch their attention if we join the club?"

"Oooh! That sounds like a good idea." There were murmurs of agreement. "Count me in!"

"Hey hey!" The senior clapped her hands, frowning at the girls. "We don't have much time here. Get a move on!"

"Yes, senpai!" The girls responded obediently, ducking their heads in embarrassment and realizing the foolishness of talking about that topic in this kind of setting. While they tried to dispel the sudden awkwardness by making small talk with the boys, Yukari instead observed the girl walking in front of her. Her unusual pale blue hair made her somehow stand out and the way she walked reminded Yukari of a newly-hatched duckling. As if sensing that there were eyes pinned on her, the girl turned her head back.

"Hi!" The brunette greeted, flashing a bright smile. The girl squeaked, then walked faster. "Wait, I just wanna be... friends?" Yukari faltered when she realized that the girl was already at the front.

Did she do something wrong?

Minutes later, they arrived at their designated classroom. Before they could enter, the senior blocked the door and flashed them a toothy smile.

"A while back, I might have been a little too harsh," she told the group, earning confused looks from the girls. "Actually, it might not be too late to recruit! Here!" She fished out calling cards from her skirt pockets and distributed them all. "We could use more members this year."

"Shiraishi fanclub?" One girl read. "What's this?"

"You'll find out soon enough." The blonde gave Yukari a lingering look before handing out a card. "You have one too!"

"Thanks, but I'm not interested," Yukari politely declined, putting two and two together. Shiraishi fanclub must mean _that_ fanclub for her brother. She heard him talking to a friend how distressing one member had been last summer, but she thought he was only exaggerating. After all, the only ladies whom she knew liked her brother were the old grandmas he helped with yoga every Sunday. And he was so lame, this brother of hers who had an unhealthy interest in poisonous plants.

To think he was this popular...

Yukari mulled this over as she picked an unoccupied desk. There wasn't a seating arrangement yet, so she chose to sit at the front to help her pay better attention to the teacher. Soon, students flocked inside the classroom and filled all of the seats.

The homeroom teacher, a certain Onoda-sensei, arrived about 10 minutes late. He had a smile that suggested he practiced it in front of a mirror about a thousand times. Onoda started his self-introduction by telling the class how he wanted to be a deep sea diver, but got traumatized when his brother crushed his skull during a dive. After an unsuccessful stint as a birthday clown, he decided to give teaching a go.

"Life is like a box of chocolates," Onoda wisely told his students. "You never know what you're going to get. I didn't know teaching would suit me, but look at me now."

Despite the poor use of a famous movie line, Onoda seemed okay in Yukari's eyes. His tone was engaging and he kept eye contact with the students. She also liked the unusual kanji combination of his name.

'_Etsu. Read as battleaxe. Ta. A common kanji for last names. Combine the two and you get Onoda. Battleaxe rice field.'_

Finally, after Onoda's speech, it was the students' turn to introduce themselves. It was a common practice, so Yukari wasn't surprised. She rehearsed it all in her head: Name, former school, and then add a few trivial stuff like hobbies and what to expect for the school year.

The student next to her started the introduction. He mumbled his way through it and just when he was about to sit down, Onoda buzzed in, "Ramen or udon, which one do you like?" The boy seemed to be at a loss before answering the latter. Satisfied, Onoda nodded and motioned for him to take his seat.

"Next!"

"Here!" Yukari raised a hand as she stood up. "Shiraishi Yukari, 16 years old. I studied at Namba Jyogakuin when I was in middle school." At the mention of the prestigious all-girls academy, murmurs floated around the air. Jyogakuin might have closed down just recently, but back in the days only those with money can ever hope to step a foot inside its school grounds. Yukari didn't pay the idle chattering any mind. "As for hobbies, I enjoy reading encyclopedias and taking long walks."

"Shiraishi-san," Onoda interrupted. Yukari sucked in her breath, anticipating a random question. "Do you have a sibling –perhaps an older brother– studying here in Shitenhouji?"

The question caught her off guard. "U-Uhm yes. As a matter of fact, I do."

The teacher's eyes bugged out. He clicked his shoes in delight before directing an admiring look at the brunette. "Isn't this superb? Shiraishi-kun's younger sister! You'll be entering the tennis club too, isn't that right?" Before Yukari could reply, the teacher slammed his hand on the desk. "Everyone! This is Shiraishi-kun's younger sister! Please take care of her!"

The rest of the class clapped their hands even though they had no idea what was going on. Some of the girls took out the calling cards they were given and wondered about the connection. Yukari sunk to her seat, ears turning pink. She had underestimated her brother's notoriety in this school. Clearly, he was far more popular than he led her to believe.

'_He is so dead when we get back home!_ ' she promised to herself.

Despite Onoda's fascination with Yukari, he thankfully kept the self-introduction going. After everyone was done, Onoda took out the class list and frowned. "Hmm, so there's a student absent today. Tooyama Kintarou-kun." He wrote something on the board and turned to the class. "Tomorrow we will be starting our lesson. As for seating arrangements, the one you have right now is good enough." Yukari fixed her eyes on the seat to her right; it was empty. "Anyway, since it's the first day of class I'll let you off early. Behave yourselves as you wait for the next teacher, okay?" He waved at the students. "See you tomorrow class!"

"Good bye sensei!" The class responded back enthusiastically. As soon as he was out, everyone focused their attention on Yukari. She shrunk in her seat, feeling like a bug under a microscope. The only thing she could do in the situation was mentally list the number of ways she can make her brother's life a living hell.

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**A/N:**

Yo yo yo! roe2 here. Thank you for reading the first chapter!

Anyway, some things I need to clarify:

(1) This is semi-AU, mostly because in this story, the events from the canon timeline will happen during high school. Yes, HIGH SCHOOL.

(2) In the manga, it was revealed that Yukari's 14 years old. Whether she was a 1st year or a 2nd year was unclear, but personally I am fond of the idea of her hanging out with Kin-chan and Oshitari Shouta (Kenya's younger bro) so in this story I made her a freshman.

This story came to mind after reading "_To Catch A Falling Star_ " by **fyerigurl** a few days ago. I highly recommend this fic!

As for why I chose Shriraishi Yukari as the main protagonist of my story, uh, it's probably because I just want an excuse to write a Shitenhouji-centric fic. Another reason is I selfishly want to write the first multi-chaptered fic centered around her. /evil laugh/ Don't worry, every member from Shitenhouji will make appearances too, but it might take a while.

And as a warning(?), there will be quite a lot of OCs, and there will be tennis... but I won't focus much on that part of the story because I don't think I can write tennis action to save my life. Instead, I'll try to make this more of a story about Yukari and how Shitenhouji will change and challenge her. In a nutshell, kind of a coming-of-age story?

Maybe.

But anyway, thanks for reading again. Please review if you have the time!

_roe2_


	2. Building Better Bear Wrestlers

**chapter TWO: Building Better Bear Wrestlers**

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It was the fourth day of school and Yukari was still upset with her brother. She was perfectly aware she was being petty but she thought that he could've warned her, told her to come prepared for a mobbing that first day of school. Maybe he could've given her a weapon. A frying pan. A stun gun. Maybe a pack of German shepherds.

Anything.

Simply put, the attention from the faculty as well as the student body for the first few days was overwhelming. She didn't deserve any of it, knew that they were flocking to her side because she was the sister of the perfect student Shiraishi-kun. Did people think of her as something of an overachiever in their minds already? Where did these expectations even come from? Yukari wondered if she should go to school with rolled up sleeves, high socks, and dyed hair. Maybe that would send the message that she wasn't her brother's female replica.

'_At least_,' Yukari thought with an evil smirk, '_I put him in his place yesterday with a surprise dropkick_.'

Lunch break came and her seatmate, a redhead who didn't give a damn about proper dress codes, bounced to her side. He smiled guilelessly and burst out, "So your brother is the captain of the tennis club, huh! Is he strong? Is he? Is he? Is he?"

The brunette grabbed her textbook and considered hitting the boy with it.

Undaunted by the lack of a reply, the boy continued with a sigh, "But you know, I think it's too bad."

She paused and finally took a good look at the boy. Uncombed hair. Lopsided grin. Poor posture. Unwashed uniform, judging from the stain and the wrinkles. And, Yukari thought with a touch of fascination, dark eyes burning with supernova-hot determination.

"Why?" Yukari found herself asking before she could stop herself.

He grinned from eat to ear, then announced with great feeling: "Because I think I can beat your big bro!"

Everyone's heads snapped in his direction.

— ()—() —() —

"So," one classmate said, swirling her sashimi in the soy sauce, "what do you think?"

Yukari stared at the onigiri her mother made for a while longer. It was cute. Shaped like Doraemon. She liked that time traveling robot cat.

"I think," another interrupted just for the heck of it, "that we all have a good chance of making it in as a regular. The Three Sages have broken up. And that monster player they had –Akagawa-senpai am I right?– is merely a shell of her former self now. I watched the livestream of the semifinals against Rikkai and she choked_ sooo_ hard she might have changed her name in shame."

"Hey hey! Everything you're saying is legit?"

With an impish expression, the girl explained, "Overheard from my sis who quit the team last year. Said they'll be lucky if they get through Regionals with their current lineup. Speaking of which," she turned to Yukari who was poking her carrots with a chopstick, "how's your brother managing his team?"

'_What am I? Their manager?!_'

But instead of responding with a saucy remark, Yukari just blinked stupidly while the others leaned in a little bit closer.

"Yukari-chan?"

"Uhm. Yeah. Uhmm..." There can never be too many 'uhms' when unsure. "Heard him saying something about switching try-out scheds with the girls tennis club though?"

"It's because of that Tooyama," supplied another classmate. "Did you know? That he keeps coming to the courts to challenge the club? Destroyed nets and sent balls flying all the way to god knows where."

Tooyama Kintarou. The boy who spoke to her. Yukari chewed slowly, trying to picture the boy in her mind. With his red hair and leopard printed shirt, he looked the part of a delinquent. Maybe he curbed his violent tendencies by playing tennis?

At the same time, Yukari couldn't help but admire his... eagerness, she supposed. It was hard to put into words, the feelings this Tooyama stirred in Yukari. They weren't romantic in nature, certainly but... when he made his intentions known without caring what people thought of him, it was like... something awakened. Something that craved for a missing... thing.

It made her feel like she ought to be chasing after something too, maybe her brother's back? But she didn't feel any sense of competitiveness against her brother. Or her equally capable sister Yuki. They couldn't help being who they were just as she couldn't help being the runt of the litter.

That was just how things were.

A classmate fancying herself as Yukari's new BFF suddenly gave her a light nudge. "Say, are you gonna try out for the tennis club?''

"No, I'll join a Bear Wrestling Team."

Was what Yukari wanted to say, but she managed to zip her mouth in time. She smiled awkwardly, allowing people to draw their own conclusions.

— ()—() —() —

"Everyone! Join the Shiraishi Fanclub!" A glasses-wearing blonde with an impressive bust size was handing out cards and flyers in the hallway. "We give out free hugs!'

A disbelieving sigh came out of a freshman's lips. "Seriously, we have a senpai who has his own fanclub? I thought that was a joke."

"It kinda is," another answered in a nonchalant tone. He took a sip from his Ponta and added, "The tennis club is popular so they have a huge following, but it's not like this is some manga where they establish fanclubs and idol-worship the students. That's just creepy."

A student wearing the student council armband appeared and showed a red card to the blonde. Everyone watching sweatdropped.

"See, that girl is actually the lone member of Shiraishi fanclub," the boy continued, using air quotes with one hand for 'fanclub'. "The others like unity, so they don't recognize her or her so-called group."

"Oh, now we get it." The other boys nodded in return, amazed with their classmate's insider info. "But even so, to be this popular probably gives you a good feeling! I've read in a sports mag that they were even branded as the 'Kings of Kansai'. Sounds really cool, eh? Don't you think we should join too, Shouta-kun?"

A wry grin flitted across Oshitari Shouta's face. To be truly welcomed as part of _that_ team, your weirdness level must be off the charts. They were the club who accepted his speed-obsessed brother after all.

"Hey, what makes you sleep at night."

— ()—() —() —

Yukari wanted to be left alone.

She explored Shitenhouji, determined to find some place of relative peace and quiet. Alas, today wasn't her lucky day. Not only did she not discover her personal Shangri-La, she also spent her entire lunch break trying to locate Shitenhouji's famed hundred year old Buddhist temple that she ended up running late for her next class.

Cursing the school's probably deceased architect, Yukari entered a building, wondering if she could perhaps find a friendly face to ask for directions. As soon as she rounded into a corner, a boy ran past her and knocked her against the wall. It took most of her self-control to not swear out loud at the clumsy oaf who bumped into her.

"Crap, my book!" The stranger cried out, running back to her direction.

Yukari reached for the book he dropped and showed it to the boy. "This?"

He stopped on his tracks and openly gaped at her. Confused by the boy's action, Yukari stood up and waved the book in front of his face. No response. Insulted, Yukari commented flatly, "You know, it's only proper to say sorry after rudely knocking over someone."

Instead of doling out an apology, the boy unexpectedly brightened up before her very eyes. "Shiraishi's sis!" Yukari instinctively took a step back. "Wow, almost didn't recognize you there. Sorry 'bout that. Was in a hurry because chem lab will be starting soon."

It was Yukari's turn to open her mouth. "W-Wha... Who…?" Do they even know each other?

The boy placed a hand over his chest. "You don't... recognize me?" His tone suggested his incredulity. "Oshitari Kenya? Speed Star of Naniwa? I visited your house once with the rest of the team, remember?"

Now that he mentioned it, he did seem like a familiar face. Yukari tilted her head, trying to recall their previous encounter. She had faith in her good memory, but no one would hold it against her if she couldn't be bothered to remember everyone she's ever met, right?

Right.

Kenya continued muttering to himself and shaking his head, as if taking it to heart that his friend's sister can't remember him at all. Something came to mind just then.

"Oh! You..." Aquamarine eyes lit up in anticipation. "You bleached your hair a different color, haven't you?" Kenya visibly deflated. "Er. Did I get it wrong? I'm usually good with noticing things like these..."

"More importantly, why is it that you single out my hair of all things?"

"I'm sorry?" Yukari briefly wondered why her brother's friend was sounding more and more like a petulant child by the second. She paused, trying to think of a good answer when she realized her original purpose. "Senpai, do you know where Home Eco Lab B is at?"she urgently inquired, changing the subject. The clock was ticking so she didn't have the time to dally around.

Fortunately, the boy took the bait.

"Let's see, that's pretty far from here. The other side actually." Kenya whistled as he pointed at a building about a football field away from where they currently were. "You'll be working out a sweat before you get the–"

"Thanks for the help, senpai," the girl cut him off, giving him a grateful smile.

Before Kenya could reply, Yukari took off, sprinting away toward the building with impressive speed. He stared at her running form appreciatively before belatedly realizing that the girl took his chemistry workbook with her. She had already crossed half the field. For a couple more seconds, he was rooted to his spot, thinking: _Unbelievable, what should he do now after he ran all the way to his house to retrieve his forgotten homework_–

Oh screw it.

"Hey! Wait up!"

— ()—() —() —

A figure was perched high up on a tree, a binocular on one hand. By the glare of the slanting afternoon light, it was easy to discern the slender silhouette of a pigtailed girl, the tips of her strawberry blonde hair dyed lime green. From below, another girl was making her way up. She was climbing higher and higher, stepping from limb to limb and frolicking among the branches like a lightfooted squirrel.

"Hate that we can't use the rooftop anymore," she said once she was at the top. Cocking an eyebrow at the other girl who was her mirror reflection, she asked, "Anything good, oneesan?"

"We-e-ell," her twin drawled, toying with her braid, "Kenya-senpai's chasing a gi- Oh! He hugged her from behind just now."

The girl made a face. "Eww. Public display of affection."

"Or maybe not," she handed her binoculars to her scoffing twin. "She just kicked him on the side. Geez, this girl sure is violent. You might wanna see this, Kana."

The one named 'Kana' zoomed in on the scene and focused on the girl. No one she knew, so definitely a freshman. Her hair, a nondescript shade of brown, was tied up into two high ponytails. Her features were ordinary, the kind that's easily forgettable. "Interesting," she remarked, "but not as interesting as Kise being dragged to detention by the student council for disruption of classes."

"Goodness. Knew her responsible act the first day of class wouldn't hold up."

The two shared a chuckle before deciding to have a race on who could climb down the fastest.

Kana won.

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**A/N:  
**

Can I just give a big shout-out to everyone who kindly reviewed and faved my story? Thank you, thank you!** Angelus Sabina Rhea Dragomir** &amp; **Descending Rainfall**, I sent replies to your inboxes. **Guest**, I'll do my best to show more of the Shitenhouji Regulars if that's what you want. :))

I think it's important to note that Yukari has no distinct character yet, so I'll try to carefully reveal more about her in writing. Everyone's free to give suggestions on how to flesh her out more since in my mind she's honestly just that typical kid trying to fit in. /awkward laugh/ That's not to say, however, that she doesn't have a few cool tricks under her sleeves.

I'd appreciate all sorts of feedback!

_roe2_

PS: Really, really random but the playable teaser for the new Silent Hill game is awesome!


	3. Garden Flower

**chapter THREE: Garden Flower  
**

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One could die from too much choices, Yukari decided as she browsed the informational pamphlets she was given. Compared to Namba Jyogakuin, there was a wide array of varsity level sports and arts club a student could join in Shiten. True to the school's reputation for taking in oddball students, there were also uncommon clubs listed, such as the 'Bird Watchers ' and the 'Paranormal Investigators.'

Everything appealed to Yukari, a girl who did not mind whatever path she walked on.

She stuffed the papers inside a clearbook. A quick check from her smartphone revealed that it was quarter to five.

About time her brother went out.

Following a concrete path lined with Platanus trees (she wished there were more sakura trees, wanted to see the vibrant pink of spring), Yukari hummed the tune of an old song her mother was particularly fond of.

"_Anata ni Aete Yokatta_. Koizumi Kyoko." An unfamiliar musical voice made the brunette jerk her neck to the right. "That's pretty old school, huh?"

A willowy girl with a really, really pretty face stood right next to Yukari, amethyst eyes twinkling like the bright stars of the evening sky. Her long hair, tied into twintails and secured with striped ribbons, looked like a dark shade of purple under direct sunlight. On her slender white neck rested an expensive looking headphone.

Behind her was a wiry-built boy with fine black hair, both ears pierced. His hands were hidden inside his pockets. That his expression betrayed none of his thoughts only served to give him an enigmatic air.

Yukari couldn't help but admire the two's visual impact.

"Eh? No response. Oh well." The girl fixed her tie. "You're heading to the courts right? If so, then don't bother. Kurosugi-senpai is spewing fire at Shiraishi-senpai again and I'm telling you, its not a nice sight to behold. Heck, _we_ ended up skipping practice."

"I don't think you should be skipping just for that reason," Yukari pointed out before she could stop herself. The boy's sharp brown eyes darted to her. Feeling self-conscious, Yukari's hand automatically shot up to press her cheek. "Do I have something on my face?"

Instead of responding, the boy turned around and walked away.

"Sorry about that," the pretty girl said soothingly as she wore a small, secretive smile. "I'll scold him on your behalf." She ran to catch up to her companion, leaving Yukari to wonder what was that all about. Figuring that they're one of those "quirky students" her brother told her Shitenhouji was famous for, Yukari shrugged and continued her way.

Nearing her destination, she heard the solid thwack of balls hitting racket strings and the pounding of feet on the courts. Her eyes slid to the boys' side of the courts. Some were running laps. A few were playing matches. Others were rolling on the grass.

Okaaaay.

In any case, Yukari felt pride swelling in her heart. These were the same people who entrusted her brother to take them to Nationals. '_Kuu-chan trains so hard_,' she thought as her feet led her to the clubroom. '_No way they're gonna lose again this year!_' She might have continued observing the actions of the more peculiar members had she not accidentally locked eyes with someone very, very familiar.

They stared at each other, then:

"**YOU!**"

— ()—() —() —

Shiraishi arrived just in time to witness his sister throw paper against his teammate's rock.

"How can you win 5 times in a row?" Kenya demanded, looking at his hand as if it had a life of its own.

'Beats me." Yukari sounded smug.

Contrary to what most people believed, rock paper scissors was not a game 100% left to chance. Rock was the testosterone choice, the one mostly favored by men. Kenya used it often unconsciously. After throwing paper, Yukari declared she would throw rock next to throw him off.

It worked.

By keeping him psychologically cornered, she was able to get consecutive wins.

"Rematch!"

"Don't be a sore loser."

Shiraishi decided to step in. "Alright, what's going on here?"

"Kuuchan!"

"Shiraishi?"

The tennis captain with the bandaged arm and light ash brown hair gave them a questioning look. "So... You guys became friends?" The two gave him similar horrified looks which he ignored. "How did this happen?"

"We're not friends!" they responded in perfect unison. Cute.

Shiraishi smiled, then joked, "If you two decided to date behind my back so suddenly-"

"Are you nuts?!" Yukari kicked her brother's knee, just as she has always done at home whenever she felt like blaming him for something that went wrong. "Okay so you know what? It's because this guy –the one with the eyes of a maniac?– he chased me like a depraved pervert yesterday. Scaring me, _scaring me_ Kuuchan! He was really fast, like a speed demon—"

"Hell yeah I was."

"Yeah, you're a pervert, we got it," sniffed Yukari.

"Will you cut it out with your mental alteration of my image?" Kenya placed his hands on his captain's shoulders and looked at him straight in the eye. "Duuuude. Your sister here, she took off with my chem workbook. You know how I want to ace all tests for this semester, before things get crazier and more stressful. But no! Instead, she runs away from me like I'm some kind of... of molester!" He clutched his chest dramatically. "I mean, I can't help it that I get intense when I run. And your sister was pretty fast."

"Thank you." Yukari eyed him. "Still doesn't change the fact that you football tackled me to the ground."

"I told you didn't I? I tripped!"

"On a blade of a grass?"

"I lost my balance, okay?"

Kenya and Yukari glared at each other so hard that it wouldn't be surprising if they fired laser beams with the power of their minds. They started trading arguments and counterarguments, leaving Shiraishi to wonder what happened to his usually sensible sister. Kenya wouldn't be given any 'Most Well-Behaved' awards soon, but he wasn't the type to get dragged into petty squabbles either.

Unless when with his cousin. His cousin always riled him up for no reason.

Shiraishi shook his head, mentally asking some divine being for guidance. He already had his hands full with club applications and fending off the captain of the girls' tennis team; he didn't want his sister to become a thorn on his back too! Just the other night, she dropkicked him for supposedly failing to give her 'essential advice' regarding high school survival in Shitenhouji. Gingerly he patted his back with the heel of his hand, momentarily considering convincing his sister to join the wrestling squad.

"So if I heard it right, you guys used rock paper scissors to settle your argument before I came," Shiraishi clarified once the two have exhausted themselves. "I guess that solved a lot of things. Go on, shake hands and give yourselves a big round of applause. I'm so proud of my sister and my teammate for being mature."

Yukari colored while Kenya rubbed the back of his neck. All of a sudden, they found the ground interesting to look at. Shiraishi hid a victorious smirk.

"Kenya, go and change. It's been a long day with regular selections and all."

"Y-Yeah." The bleached hair boy quickly headed towards the changing room, not bothering to spare his captain a glance. Within seconds he was gone. Shiraishi proceeded to give his sister a pointed stare. He didn't need words to convey his disappointment.

"S-Sorry..." Yukari's voice was subdued, almost a whisper. "I'm just… kinda stressed out… or something…" Seeing the pained look she wore, Shiraishi couldn't help but ruffle his sister's hair in affection.

As he suspected, Yukari only found Kenya an easy target for her pent-up frustration. She wasn't really mad at him for whatever it is he may or may have not done. In fact, she may not even know why she's being uncharacteristically moody as of late.

As for the reason for her accumulated stress, well, Shiraishi wasn't born yesterday. If he had to guess, it was the change in environment.

Yuki-nee headed to New York to start a career in modelling while he challenged himself with a captainship to go along with his other academic and extracurricular responsibilities. Yukari, as far as he could tell, had never been in a pressure-cooking situation. To say that she was spoiled would be pushing it but for now she can be likened to a tiny flower surrounded by a low white picket fence. Pretty to look at, true, but pales in comparison to the wild and free wildflower, blooming and exhibiting itself in its fullest color to the world.

Shiraishi believed in his sister, but he was worried she didn't believe in herself.

— ()—() —() —

_**CLICK!**_

Kenya refrained himself from rolling his eyes when he heard the shutter of his teammate's phone camera go off. Tilting his head, he caught the second year trying to conspicuously capture the image of their captain playfully tugging his sister's hair.

"Hey Z, what are you up to now?"

"Might use for my blog."

"What _don'_t you use for your blog?" Kenya asked, mouth set in a displeased frown. The question was rhetorical so it shouldn't be a surprise that Zaizen ignored him and continued fiddling with his phone. Still, the flippant attitude made Kenya mutter out 'brat' under his breath.

"Kenya.' Ishida Gin's tone was reproachful. The monk-in-training rarely reprimanded anyone, usually preferring to stand back and observe.

Kenya bit the insides of his cheek, once again realizing how immature he was being. He shouldn't be like this, shouldn't be getting bothered because some girl didn't remember him. But honestly, more than the idea of not making an impression, he was confused because Yukari wasn't the pure girl he remembered. Unlike the Yukari in his head, this one was… kinda crass.

Or maybe that's what she really was. Maybe it was just Kenya who idealized her when he first laid eyes on her that tangy summer afternoon. In his memory, she was the angel-like girl with the cute button nose and strappy gingham check dress. He vividly recalled her giving him an adorable smile– one he couldn't help but return back.

It may be Yuushi rubbing off on him, but at one point he imagined them meeting in a more romantic setting. And then, Shiraishi would appear out of nowhere and chase him like every overprotective older brother portrayed in the movies. Never mind that it's cliche; precisely because it is overdone that it's appealing.

The reality, much to his disappointment, turned out to be very, very different.

(He had to remind himself he got his heart broken not too long ago.)

Kenya buttoned up his jacket. This was stupid, blaming Yukari for not being what he expected her to be. He'll cool off by treating himself to some oden later. After that, perhaps he will be in a better mood.

Then tomorrow, he'll apologize to Yukari.

— ()—() —() —

A week later, Yukari found herself passing by the tennis courts again, this time with a couple of her classmates who were about to try out for the club. The entire area was engulfed in a myriad of head-splitting female shrieks. 'Don Don Dodododoonn! Shi-ten-hou-ji!" The guys chanted to the beat of the drums. All of them seemed to be in good spirits.

"Yuu-kun!"

"Koharu-chan!"

In the middle of the courts, two tennis players did an impromptu Argentine tango... or at least, that's what it looked like to Yukari's untrained eyes. The boy with the green sweat headband dipped his partner and lowered his head, only to be slapped by the other boy for his bold action.

"Koharu!" Hitouji Yuuji rubbed his red cheek, looking betrayed. "Why would you do that?"

"This is why we broke up!" Konjiki Koharu haughtily crossed his arms over his chest. "You don't even know how to create a romantic mood! Hmph."

Koharu and Yuuji. Two of the members she had been acquainted with thanks to her frequent visits to the club room. Yukari laughed awkwardly to herself as her gaze traveled to the boy who was making short work of his opponent.

"Super great beef shot!" Kintarou cried out, springing into the air and hitting a deep winner next to the baseline.

Tooyama Kintarou, the monster rookie Shitenhouji recruited this year. Her brother said he would be a great and dangerous weapon that the team would rely on in the future.

"Take that!" This time, the wild freshman hit a high volley with relative ease.

Yukari sighed. He looked like he was having the time of his life. Was tennis that fun? It must be nice to be doing something you're passionate about.

'_Supernova_,' she thought. '_That guy's a supernova_.'

"They say the captain this year, a former Sage, is _supeee_r strict." A classmate was saying in the background as Yukari continued watching the students play. "Players call her boss instead of captain. Boss! And last year, she was the one who pushed for the members to drive out their coach. See, they're paying for it now."

"Anyway, Yukari-chan, you're all set too right?"

"Hm?" The girl tore curious brown eyes away from the courts.

"Oh, why did we even ask?" The girl with the ruddy complexion gave a high five to another classmate. "Of course we signed you up the other day when we didn't see your name. You're welcome!"

'_Wait. What.'_

Yukari swore she could hear Beethoven's Fifth playing ominously.

* * *

**A/N:**

**2014/11/25—** This... is not the original Chapter Three, but the one I had in my drafts. I've mistakenly uploaded the wrong chapter some time ago and when I tried to retrieve it from my document manager I found out that it had been deleted. Anyway, it's not a big problem since there weren't a lot of changes I made in the first place. I'm sorry to all the readers who may have been confused and a big thanks to **Lynn06** for pointing out my mistake!

_roe2_


	4. Winner

**chapter FOUR: Winner**

* * *

Shiraishi sneaked in a glance towards the girls' side of the courts. Everyone was doing something: stretching, running laps, practicing serves.

Only one girl remained stationary as she sat under the shade of a tree, one leg bent and both hands planted on her feet. She seemed to be attempting to stand up without pain, but if the grim expression on her face was anything to go by, she wasn't managing too well. Seeing her struggle, Shiraishi had to squash the instinct to cross over to where she was and offer his help.

But that would be spoonfeeding, right?

'_Yukari will hang in there," _Shiraishi convinced himself before returning back to his team. '_She'll be fine, she'll be fine._'

— ()—() —() —

After just one day, Yukari's body was already in shock. She shook her left leg, then her right. Experimentally she bounced on the balls of her feet.

Nope, still felt like lead.

"You okay there?" Two girls chirped at the same time.

Yukari stared, intrigued. Identical twins? They shared the same delicate, pixie-like features. Yukari was even positive that it would have been next to impossible to distinguish them, if it wasn't for the way they did their braids: one twin tied her braids neatly while the other one seemed to have done hers haphazardly.

"It's rude to stare, isn't it?"

"Yes, oneesan, it definitely is."

The brunette's eyes widened and she stepped back, embarrassed. "Sorry about that!" she exclaimed, laughing uneasily. "It's just that... You two are really cute, like–" As if on cue, the image of Tinker Bell came to mind. "Like fairies," she went on, faltering when she realized that the comparison probably didn't make sense.

"Ooohhh." The twins looked at each other, then back to Yukari. It must have been her imagination, but it seemed like they mouthed something to each other?

"...That was weird, wasn't it?" sighed Yukari, mentally slapping herself. Why does she have to be so lame?

"That's the first time someone called us that," the twin with the messy braid remarked. She held out a hand. "Midoriyama Kana."

"And I am Midoriyama Hana," the other girl introduced after.

The brunette flashed them a cheery smile. "I'm–"

"Midoriyama Hana, Midoriyama Kana!" A raspy voice boomed from behind. "Don't keep your opponents waiting!"

Kana put her little fingers inside her ears and shut her eyes tight. Hana, meanwhile, promptly responded back to the figure approaching them, "We'll be there! Sorry for the delay!"

Without prelude they sprinted off, not even bothering to say goodbye.

Yukari blinked. Just then, those two... weren't they really fast? Even more alarming, she didn't hear them make a noise even after they took off.

'_Soundless running?_'

"So." Yukari was snapped back to reality. The newcomer was scrutinizing her up and down. "Shiraishi Kuranosuke's younger sister." She lifted her chin. "I'll be expecting a lot from you."

Yukari didn't say anything.

Kurosugi Fuu intimidated Yukari loads. The captain of the girls' team held herself in a proud but detached manner, not too unlike that of a majestic lone wolf. Her long face, pointed features and wavy dark hair only served to make the resemblance even more striking.

She didn't want to admit it, but she was scared.

"Do you want to play with me?"

Really scared.

"But I don't play tennis much." Yukari scratched her cheek. "You'll find me lacking in many ways."

Arctic grey eyes pierced her. "Making excuses right off the bat?"

Yukari blanched. "I– _what_?"

"Winner takes all," Kurosugi quipped with scalding coolness. "It's easy to see right through you, Shiraishi Yukari. Let's see." She crossed her arms over her chest. "A subpar performance from you would be justified because you do not want to be subjected to the same standards as your brother, is that it?" Receiving no reply, she smiled blandly. "So what if you are a beginner? I need to know your resolve. Your determination."

"Clearly your way of thinking already shows that you have the mentality of a _loser_."

A swell of courage roared through Yukari's body. "But didn't you lose against Rikkai last..." Yukari began, then realized that she should have held her tongue when she heard a collective gasp. Some of the members have gathered around them, curious. "I mean..." She panicked, growing increasingly agitated by the second. "Playing a sport, shouldn't it be for you to lose yourself in the game so you can enjoy it to the fullest? As for a defeat," her eyes were like the light of a candle in the darkness, "it can't be helped if there's a better opponent, ne?"

The girls standing near them buzzed. Clearly Yukari had said the wrong thing.

"You have my interest, Shiraishi Yukari." Kurosugi's raspy voice held a sharp edge. "Tomorrow and the day after, show everyone an enjoyable game." She then stalked away, racquet in hand. Silently, the others followed her, like little drones trailing their queen bee, leaving Yukari alone with a smirking bespectacled blonde.

"You've got guts," she finally said when she met Yukari's eyes. "Hardly anyone stands up to the boss."

Yukari pursed her lips. Her stupid mouth, it always got her in trouble, didn't it?

The blonde did not mind Yukari's moment of self-reflection. Instead, she took this moment to use her racquet as a microphone and pointed at Yukari, "Why didn't you tell me you were Shiraishi-sama's sister that day though? We could've been _greaaat_ friends right away!"

"Fukubuchou." Yukari rubbed her eyes. "Please don't mention my brother any more." In a quieter tone, she added, "Please?"

It might be an impossible request, seeing that the oddball vice-captain of Shitenhouji was the (self-proclaimed!) president of the (one-member strong!) Shiraishi Fanclub. And to think that she looked all prim and proper when she guided them to their classroom that first day of school...

Kise Nadeshiko pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose, then bent down so she was eye-level with Yukari. "What if I say no?"

"Fukubuchou, _please_. I'm serious."

The blonde seemed to be considering it. "Hmm, but in exchange," she tapped her chin and languidly fixed her gaze towards the boys' side of the courts, "can you give me some juicy info about your brother?"

"Eh! Juicy info?" Yukari repeated, scandalized. Was this girl that obsessed? Doesn't she have a li–

"Just now, you were silently judging me weren't you?"

Yukari couldn't help but blush, caught. But how could she be blamed? In her old all-girls school, modesty and propriety were expected. While Kise seemed to be nice and friendly enough, she also gave the impression of a boy-crazy woman. Even the student council found her actions disturbing. Seriously, doesn't she feel ashamed that she's acting like this?

Then again...

'_Live and let live, Yukari_," she reminded herself, remembering her mother's words. 'A_fter all, it doesn't feel nice when people make quick judgements about you without knowing the whole story, right?_'

15-Love. Her conscience always got the better of her.

"Alright," hedged Yukari, trying to sound friendlier. "I don't know what you want from me, but I guess... Uhm, I guess I can tell you a few things about him." She remembered the slam books her classmates in Namba Jyogakuin liked passing around. "Like favorite colors? Motto? Something like that?"

Kise was practically dancing. "Sounds great! Looking forward to that, imouto-chan!"

"I'm not making any promises thou- Wait, _imouto-chan_?!" But Kise was already skipping to an area where a bunch of freshmen were gathered, no doubt with the intention to terrorize them.

Yukari sighed and fixed her elbow sleeves.

That night, she practiced her swings in her room. She'll do this her own way, her own pace. She may have been forced to join, but it didn't mean that she couldn't give her hundred percent!

'_Besides_', Yukari happily thought as she put down her racquet, "_this is kinda fun_!'

— ()—() —() —

Kurosugi glared at the sleeping form of a certain middle aged man. Balancing three thick binders on her arm, she managed to kick one of the table's legs with enough force to rouse awake the unsuspecting adult.

"How can a lazy bum be our advisor?" Kurosugi's voice could've been acid. "Get up. The pre-ranking tournament will start in half an hour. If you don't wanna be here, crawl back to the other side of the field and have one of your pointless takoyaki parties."

"Rude," intoned the older man. "We have _soumen_ parties."

"Still a party to fatten yourselves."

"Ah, Fuu-chan." The girl glowered at the use of her first name. "Your tongue's as sharp as ever. No wonder Coach Kasai didn't think twice when he resigned." The man rolled to his back and tipped his khaki fisherman hat. "Unfortunately, unlike him, I'm not the type to easily get wounded by insults. Words are wind, that's all. Nothing to lose your cool over."

"You mean you have no dignity, Watanabe Osamu-san."

Osamu threw his head back and laughed idly. "As we say here in Shitenhouji: The one who laughs first wins."

Kurosugi didn't respond. However, the way she looked –as if she was struggling to keep something disgusting off her face– already made it clear that she didn't agree with his easygoing ways. She inclined her head in a regal manner, then asserted, "The one who laughs the last is the one who wins. Now if you'll excuse me." Kurosugi turned on her heel and strode away, leaving Osamu to watch her from the corner of his eye.

'Cool as ice.'

Often people used that phrase to describe Kurosugi. Described her time and time again as a snow queen, or something along those lines. But that couldn't be any further from the truth. Osamu knew that fire ran in her veins. Untempered passion, that was what she and her tennis was. Even more worrisome, the girl had an extremely possessive streak.

Wasn't that the reason why she drove out her old coach?

As well as two of her staunchest teammates?

Osamu fished out a lighter from his pocket. He pressed the button, studying the dancing flames in amusement.

'_Don't crash and burn the way you did last time, wolf child._'

— ()—() —() —

"Yuni-san, why are you still here?"

"Ah!" The girl erasing the board turned her head. "I'm the assigned cleaner for today."

Her classmate had a vague look on his face. In a measured tone, he asked, "Will you go to the tennis courts today?"

Smilingly, 'Yuni' shook her head. "Maybe some other time."

Up until last year, he would've thought that the girl was oblivious to a fault, buoyed by unquenchable optimism. She always seemed to be living in the moment.

Right now, she looked more like a ghost of the past.

"Is there anything else?" the girl asked.

"Nothing." Ishida Gin wore an impassive mask. "Nothing at all."

— ()—() —() —

As the umpire, Kurosugi was seated atop a tall chair at the center of the court, safely behind a net post. Just before she took her spot, she spun a racquet to decide who was going to serve first.

Yukari won.

Across the net, a stocky girl with pale blue hair and darting grey eyes was lined up far behind the baseline, shifting her weight back and forth in wait. Yukari knew this girl, this Aoba Sachi, the one who shook like a leaf every time a teacher called her for class recitation.

Why someone as timid as her would want to have anything to do with such a competitive sport, Yukari had no idea.

The brunette bounced the ball up and down to get into the rhythm. A bead of sweat trickled down her face. She willed herself to ignore the eyes focused on her. '_Enjoy the moment, have fun_,' she told herself over and over again. To keep calm, she reviewed the basics of serving in her head:

_Flat Serve. Usually used for the opening serve. Stance is perpendicular to the ground. Weight transfers backward onto the back foot while lifting the ball of the front foot. Release the ball while the racquet moves further up. Bend knees and rotate shoulder to hit the ball with the racquet._

**BAM!**

And she hit it.

Yukari breathed a sigh of relief –she didn't embarrass herself on her first serve!– when the ball came back to her side, impossibly fast. Her heartbeat accelerated once she processed what just happened. Slowly, she lowered her gaze to look at the mark left by the ball fired by her opponent.

"15-Love!"

— ()—() —() —

Count on Kurosugi to psychologically destroy the morale of a player.

What was she thinking when she pitted Shiraishi Yukari against Aoba Sachi, the genius player from Hokkaido? The difference between the two players couldn't have been more pronounced. Anyone with two eyes can tell that Yukari was nothing but a newbie. It was in her form, her weak serves, her messy footwork. This captain did not have a heart, Osamu concluded as the blue haired girl scored another game.

"Match point!"

Already? It did not escape Osamu's notice that the game was about to end without Yukari taking even a single point away from her opponent. He wondered how the girl was holding up, especially considering the unspoken pressure to at least be decent in tennis when one knew who her brother was.

"40-15!"

Yukari successfully launched a wicked dropshot that Aoba did not chase in time to return. That single point won't change the tide of this match, not when Aoba only needed one more win to take it home, but Osamu hoped it would lead to a few more miraculous points for the poor girl.

Right beside him, Kise punched the air. "Go imouto-chan!" she cried out in support, unmindful of Kurosugi's signature warning glares.

Like this, maybe Yukari could even win a ga–

"Game. Set. Match. 6-0! Winner, Aoba Sachi."

'_Oh._' He gave the brunette a sideways glance. '_That was a crushing defeat_."

"A golden set!" The other members couldn't believe their eyes. "Aoba's the real deal!"

"Who isn't when up against someone who's practically a baby?" Kise mused sourly.

Osamu clapped along with the rest of the club, silently echoing the blonde's sentiments. Considering that she had zero experience in tennis if her brother's word was to be believed, Shiraishi Yukari actually played better than he thought.

Shame she was matched up against a potential super rookie.

— ()—() —() —

"T-Thank you." Aoba shook hands with Yukari, eyes casted downwards. Her round cheeks were flushed from exertion. "That was a good game."

"You're being kind," Yukari replied with a light laugh. "We both know I'm a lousy player."

If possible, Aoba reddened even more.

'_She has a lot of callouses," _noted Yukari after the handshake. '_I see. I was defeated by someone who likes tennis a great deal.'_

The realization abated the bitterness building up inside her. The loss still felt raw, but for now, Yukari was only tired. Tired of chasing and chasing but never getting anywhere. Like a carousel she couldn't enjoy. Or a getting stuck in a maze with no way out.

Ah… The sport her brother loved was lonelier than she thought.

"I-I-I..." Aoba fidgeted. "I could have given you a game. Y-You... You've just started, but I didn't hold back. I should have–"

"It's fine!" Her tone came out sharper than she intended. "This is how this sport is played anyway!"

Aoba looked at her with watery eyes. For a moment, Yukari thought she would cry. That would be weird, considering she should be the one to be bawling her eyes out considering what just happened. "Shiraishi-san, I still feel bad," Aoba continued shakily. "But you must understand, the ball is my friend. I have to always welcome my friend back."

Yukari blinked.

Was Aoba being serious?

The brunette wanted to ask more from Aoba, but froze when Kurosugi brushed past her, smirking as she did so. The captain didn't say anything, but then again, she didn't need to. Yukari could clearly see in Kurosugi's eyes that she was already branded a loser after her defeat.

'_At least you enjoyed the game_,' she tried to lie to herself.

— ()—() —() —

"Boss."

Hearing a friendly voice behind her, Kurosugi closed her locker and inclined her head to the side. Kise leaned against the door, a saccharine smile attached to her lips.

"What do you want?"

"A while ago, that second to the last match we had?" The vice-captain tucked her hair behind her ear. "You must've known that Aoba-chan would crush Shiraishi-chan. Even by your standards, that was needlessly cruel. Just because that girl hurt your little pride–"

"Excuse me?" A wave of annoyance came over the captain. "So you think I was playing favorites? That I intentionally set up that pairing with malicious intentions?" To her further exasperation, Kise's only response was a careless shrug. "I am the captain of this team and whatever I do, I do it for everyone's interest. So what if that Shiraishi Yukari girl was outclassed? I didn't see her fight for any point anyway, only watched as that girl floundered around trying to survive instead of trying to _win_."

"She is a newbie."

"Who has no fire," insisted Kurosugi, wondering why Kise was bringing up a non-issue. "After the match, what did she do? Nothing. She reacted like losing was no big deal. You seriously think that _that'_s the kind of player I can care about?"

"You should care about all the players in this team, not only the strong ones," Kise reminded in an unusually grave tone.

Kise's words threw Kurosugi back to the past. Back to that week of hell, that godawful week of hell. And then everything played back in slow motion, and she saw flashes of everything, as if watching it happen to someone else.

A figure falling. Blood. Girls throwing their racquets. IVs. Yellow jerseys. Defeat. A girl who lost her laughter. Bathroom walls.

The beginning of the end.

The end of an era.

A sick feeling rose up to the back of her throat, making her swallow involuntarily. No, not now. She couldn't afford to look weak. She steadied herself and met Kise's defiant eyes.

'_I made you vice-captain because you reminded me of _**her**_, but now I can see how wrong I am_.'

For a moment, no one spoke. The air between the two grew thick with static, but it was broken when another member of the club came in.

"Oh." The newcomer instantly felt the tension in the air. "I shouldn't have…"

"Hey Mayuyu~!" Kise greeted with a singsong voice as she hurriedly steered the twintail haired girl out of the room. "Boss in a bad mood, but what else is new? Come on, let's get out of here before we get infected with her grumpiness!"

Kurosugi couldn't be any more thankful for the interruption.

The footsteps grew fainter and fainter. After making sure that the two were gone, Kurosugi doubled over and clutched her stomach. She wanted to puke. Swallowing her saliva over and over, Kurosugi opened her locker to finger the edges of a worn-out photograph.

She remembered her promise of redemption.

"That's right. I don't need that kind of player," she spoke softly, as if humming a lullaby. _"_Not when it's the winner that takes all._"_

* * *

**A/N:**

While writing this chapter, I've listened a lot to kpop group **Winner**'s new album hence the chapter title inspiration. Anyway, I've introduced and named some OCs who will become more prominent in the future. I hope they don't feel too Mary Sue-ish. /nervous laugh/

_'Katta Mon Gachi ya'_ (勝ったモン勝ちや) - I've seen fans equate this to '_The one who laughs first, wins_!' or '_If it's a grin, it's a win!_' But that's not it at all. NOT IT AT ALL. Actually, it's a play on the phrase '_Hayai Mono Kachi_'(早い者勝ち) and it means '_First come first serve._' We think of Shitenhouji as that joke team, the team which sees no value in winning but that isn't true either. _Katta Mon Gachi Ya_, in a more literal translation, means '_Winner takes all_.' Doesn't that sound telling?

And as you may have guessed in this chapter, Osamu and Shiraishi lead the team with a more laidback (but not entirely ineffective) attitude that Kurosugi thinks makes a mockery of the 'real' Shitenhouji philosophy. Expect more headbutting in later chapters.

Once again, thank you for the kind reviews as well as for the faves and follows! I'll do my best to crank up the next chapter ASAP!

_roe2_


	5. 47

**chapter FIVE: 47  
**

* * *

"Yeah KenKen, you can have the cones for the rest of day. We ain't gonna be needing the– Oh hey imouto-chan!" The moment she saw Yukari, the hyper second-year wildly waved her hands around. "You're early for practice, aren't you? Excited for the matches?"

"Oh. Of course." Yukari's lips curved up in an attempt to smile. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"You sound like you'd rather eat grass," Kise pointed out, not missing the dejected tone in her voice. "Still hung up over yesterday's game?"

"No, it's not like that!" she denied with a single shake of the head. "I'm just getting nervous again. Still, I'll try to do my best!"

"Atta girl."

"E-Eh?!" Suddenly alert, the brunette straightened up and turned to look for the source of the new voice. When her eyes landed on a fairly tall young man sporting the tennis club's uniform, she immediately stepped forward and clapped her hands together in a pleading gesture. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me! I...I didn't notice you…"

"Don't sweat it, KenKen gets that a lot," said Kise, elbowing the boy on the rib. "Isn't he amazing? I bet he has some special skill like misdirection or phantom shots."

"If I did, I won't be a reserve," came the good-natured response. "By the way, the name's Koishikawa Kenjirou, vice-captain of the tennis club." His eyes glinted in amusement. "Actually, we've been introduced the other day but I guess I didn't have much of a presence..."

"O-Oh! I'm sorry! It's my fault! I wasn't paying attention!" Yukari bowed her head several times, cheeks tinged pink. This Koishikawa-senpai definitely looked familiar, but for the life of her she couldn't get her usually sharp memory bank to draw out a name to attach to the face. "It won't happen again, I promise!"

Koishikawa made a dismissive gesture. "Like Nadeshiko-chan said, it's no big deal. I'm used to it."

"Yeah, don't feel bad!" Kise made a shooing motion. "Now off you go. Hurry back when you've changed!"

"Yes, fukubuchou!"

Yukari padded towards the changing room. By arriving early, she hoped to avoid mingling with her classmates as well as the other members of the club. After the practice match yesterday, the attention shifted from her to Aoba. She should've been glad –wasn't this was she wanted?– but then she overheard a few of them reflecting on her loss:

"_Yukari-chan isn't a big deal huh."_

"_Maybe she clings to her brother's popularity. She probably didn't expect that buchou won't give her a free pass just because her brother's kind of a bigshot."_

"_Aoba-chan is cuter anyway!"_

Yukari pulled her shirt down and slammed the locker shut. In hindsight, it was probably also her fault. She must've been crazy, assuming that reading books about tennis would translate to a magical one-day proficiency at the sport. No wonder she lost badly.

That, and because tennis meant nothing to her anyway.

— ()—() —() —

Three was favored as much by art as by science: primary colors, notes to form a musical chord, three points of a triangle. It was the number that represented the perfect balance.

Rikkai Dai knew what was up. They had the Three Demons after all.

And Shitenhouji, well, there were the Three Sages but...

"You're not going to the courts today too?"

The girl, idly swinging her legs and solving a Rubik's cube, lifted her head up. With a sheepish smile, she answered, "Funny, Gin-san also asked me about that yesterday."

'_You know why we're asking you_,' Shiraishi thought, but knew better than to try and test his luck. In truth, he wanted to reach out to her and touch her hair, tell her it's alright, that the court will welcome her back with open arms and that it wouldn't hurt to touch a racquet again.

_White lies._

Osamu, who had walked over, spoke up before Shiraishi could say something. "Oi, Shiraishi, let's skip practice today and go play spy." Yet his eyes were on the girl, seeking, probing, possibly trying to get inside her head. She didn't give him a chance, flashing a smile so disarming he decided to just move along. "Don't let little Fuu-chan catch you two. She might think you're the reason Yuni-chan isn't showing up," he deigned to add, briefly looking back over his shoulder.

"Oh, that would be terrible," the auburn haired girl laughed.

Once upon a time, she was a girl who laughed a little bit too much, a little too carelessly. Now her laughter sounded hollow, sounded gut-wrenchingly _wrong_.

"I better go," Shiraishi suddenly said, flinging his racquet at his equipment bag. "The captain can't afford to be anything but prompt."

"Oh." She tossed her Rubik's cube up in the air, then grinned at the bandaged arm captain. "Good luck to your sister!"

"Huh?"

"The first day of the selections," she clarified, catching her toy. "Didn't she sign up for the team?"

Shiraishi gave the girl a questioning look. Bringing up Yukari was weird, but a certain relief washed over him when he realized that she was still keeping tabs on the tennis club. It gave him hope. He planned to answer back with a grateful smile, but she was already heading back to the entrance, waving at a middle-aged man smartly dressed in a business suit.

He thought her back looked lonely.

— ()—() —() —

"Alright girls, today we'll begin our ranking tournament," informed Kurosugi, standing confidently atop a portable wooden platform. Behind her was a medium-sized whiteboard. "These matches will help us determine who will make it to the regular lineup. The format? Modified round-robin."

"What's even a round robin?" asked one first year.

"A good question!" Noticing Kurosugi's disapproving look, Kise saved by the day by answering in her place. "A round robin is a grouping of players in which each player must play every other player in the group. However, in our case, there are too many participants so we divide our players into blocks. Let's see…" Kise took out a sheet of paper. "We have 32 active members, so we'll have 4 blocks each consisting of 8 players!"

"Obviously, in the typical round-robin, only the winner gets to get out of the block."

"So a modified round-robin…"

"Instead of having only one winner, we get the winner _and _the runner-up to proceed to the elimination stage tomorrow." Kurosugi was back in control. "And since we have to get this round done by today, instead of playing a set, we will adhere to a best two out of three rule. If you arrive at a 40-all for the third game, we'll write it down as a draw. Ah, and you get to score yourselves so no funny business, is that clear?" They all answered in the affirmative. "Good. Now, in the interest of fairness, we'll draw lots to decide which block you'll be assigned."

Kise gave a toothy grin and made a pose. "As you can see, no rigging will take place!"

"Stop fooling around and help me with this," the irate captain snapped, pushing the glasses-wearing girl to the back. "When I call out your name, pick out a piece of folded paper." She pointed at a fishbowl. "Let's start. Aoba Sachi?"

The blue haired girl did as instructed and opened her paper. "B-Block B," she reported quietly.

"Speak louder next time," remarked Kurosugi as Kise wrote the result on the whiteboard. "Next!"

This continued until everyone was called. Only one member didn't show up for the selections: a certain Im Yuni.

She's in the same block as Yukari.

— ()—() —() —

"Kurosugi's already finished?" Koishikawa looked at his watch. "Didn't they begin only half an hour ago?"

"The Insufferable One is pretty intense," Yuuji said, unimpressed. He cleared his throat and proceeded to mimic the tennis captain's voice. "Oh look at me! I'll crush everyone under my feet!" For good measure, he treated everyone to a dead-on imitation of a wolf's howling. The boys were in stitches after he was done.

"I didn't know you paid attention to her that much, Yuu-kun," muttered Koharu, crossing his arms and pouting. "Guess you were lying when you said I was your only one, huh!"

Yuuji broke into tears and wailed, "Uwaaahhh! Koharu! I'm not being an infidel! Believe me when I say you're the only one in my heart!"

The ruckus caused some of the girls to look their way.

"Hey!" Everyone turned to look back at Court D. Kurosugi rested her tennis racquet on her shoulder and speared them with a menacing glare. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh don't mind them!" Osamu wove his way to the front of the group. Ignoring Kurosugi's darkening expression, he fished out a cigarette stick from his pocket and offhandedly added, "No one was in the mood for tennis today, so I invited them to watch your ranking tournament."

"But I want to play tennis!" piped in Kintarou before the rest of the group could clamp his mouth shut.

"You really have nothing to do huh?"

Still, Kurosugi didn't say anything else or chase them away. The group interpreted this as silent permission, although they could tell that if she had it her way, they wouldn't be allowed to set one foot on their side of the courts. With Osamu leading the way, they settled themselves on the bleachers.

"Check out Court C," Kenya jerked a thumb over said court. "The kunoichis are at it."

"They have names, Kenya," Shiraishi gently admonished. "Midoriyama Hana and Midoriyama Kana."

Before Kenya could respond, an announcement made his eyes fly to another court.

"Game! 2-0! Kise-senpai advances!"

"Kise won but…" Kenya narrowed his eyes and craned his neck. "Something's off."

The vice-captain's hair and brow were dampened in perspiration, beads of sweat sliding down her face. She leaned against the metal post, huffing and puffing in exhaustion.

"Goodness," Koharu gasped. "She looks more like a disaster survivor than a cute highschool girl." Trust him to come up with such a colorful description.

Ishida Gin uncrossed his arms. "For Kise to be pushed this back," his steely gaze landed on the small figure shaking and crying on the other end of the court, "her opponent must really be something."

Osamu scratched his sides. "Aoba Sachi. First year. Saw her play yesterday, an all-rounder. Interesting girl, claimed that she wasn't part of any team back in junior high. Kinda scary to think what kind of player she could have been had she started early, dontcha think?"

Koishikawa found himself nodding in agreement. Aside from Kurosugi, Kise was probably the most reliable and consistent player they have in their current lineup. He wondered if the girls were recording this tryout. Perhaps he could observe this Aoba Sachi to find out how she played against Kise.

"So they found themselves a super rookie too?" Kenya turned to the so-called Bible of Tennis. "Hey, what do you– Shiraishi?"

"Tsk."

The discontented click of the tongue did not go unheard. Raising a brow, Kenya followed his captain's line of vision.

He saw a certain brunette crossing over the courts to hit a forehand before backing away to prepare for the aggressive counterattack. She avoided the danger but her opponent went for a smash down the center. Yukari raced to hit the ball back, her racquet hitting nothing but air.

"Game! 2-0! Murasaki-senpai wins again!"

The waiflike violet haired girl flipped her hair before extending a hand towards the freshman. '_Thanks for the match_,' Kenya could read from the way her small mouth moved.

Something about the set of Shiraishi's mouth made it obvious that he was partly disappointed. As for Kenya, he wasn't surprised with the outcome– it was to be expected. Murasaki Mayu was a good tennis player, one who moved as if she was dancing with the wind. With her footwork, she made gliding down the courts look seamless and effortlessly natural. Heck, even he felt like being envious of her graceful tennis style.

Only on some days though.

"Looks like Zaizen's girlfriend won," he snickered, trying to lighten up the mood.

"We're friends."

The typical reply. _Boooring_.

"Aww, don't be like that." Zaizen rolled his eyes. He's practically a master with the amount of eye-rolling he does on a regular basis. "I'm still invited to your wedding, aren't I?"

"Senpai, you always says what you want and never slow down even when thinking. I guess it's too painful to spend time with your own thoughts."

"... …"

Yuuji tapped a fist to his palm. "Ah!" He sounded as if he just had an epiphany. "I think he's insulting you again Kenya."

Ishida offered to a reddening Kenya, "Contain your anger. Zaizen's just being himself."

"Ooh! Hikaru-chan is sooo cool! I am falling in love with him~~Dukkyun!" Koharu made a heart pose with his hands and blew Zaizen a kiss. He dodged.

"Are you cheating on me?" Yuuji exclaimed, a witness to his partner's flirting.

Zaizen was as stoic as ever. "More idiots," he complained to no one in particular.

"Hmm? By the way, where is Chitose?" Osamu asked aloud, scanning the group.

"Where can I play tennis?!" Kintarou angrily demanded, jumping from the bleachers and sprinting towards a court where a rally was taking place.

Almost everyone stood up. This won't be good.

Proven almost instantly when Kurosugi aimed a half-empty water bottle at Kintarou 2.5 seconds later.

— ()—() —() —

"But Shiraishiii! I wanna play too! Why can't I?"

"...Kin-chan, do you want to die?"

"A-A-Ah…."

"Well?"

"Eeep! Okay! I'll do anything you say! Just get the poison hand away from me!"

_**SNAP!**_

Yukari stumbled back, blinking rapidly. Just now, a girl had snapped her fingers in front of her face. She heard a stern voice inquire in an even tone, "Done daydreaming?"

The brunette had the decency to blush. That's right. She was in the middle of a match. She quickly got to position and delivered a simple underhand serve. The ball was returned and she hit it back towards the empty court to the left… except it was no longer empty. Yukari realized her mistake too late when her opponent smashed a winner across the court.

There were waves coming.

And she could do nothing to stop them.

"Point to Yasutora-chan," Murasaki announced, serving as the referee. "Game, 1-0. Change court."

Yukari swung her racket and sliced the air in exasperation. Losing, always losing. It might be the only thing she'll ever know in tennis.

Oh, but she had a win thanks to that Im Yuni senpai. A default win, but still...

'_Man, that's just sad_...' Yukari couldn't help but take pity on herself.

Yasutora served this time and Yukari chased after the ball, aiming to land it down the middle. However, with her weak control, she accidentally volleyed instead. The ball ended up dropping very softly near the net.

"0-15!"

"Hmm?" Yukari was surprised to find Yasutora letting go of that one. She's pretty aggressive, this senpai of hers.

Another serve.

Yukari used a backhand, recalling the shot in her head and executing it almost flawlessly.

Murasaki, watching the match, opened her mouth in surprise. So far, she'd only seen Yukari use flats and forehands. To think she hid such a money shot?

The ball did not go over the net.

"15-All!"

Or maybe not. Murasaki gave the younger Shiraishi an assessing look. She was a beginner, yet she had a fairly good grasp of the basics. Furthermore, she hasn't shown any bad habits yet. A good sign, as it means faster progress in developing her own playing style.

'_Someone faithful to the basics too, huh..._' Murasaki pondered.

But of course, her brother was in a league of his own. Shiraishi Kuranosuke –the walking, breathing textbook of tennis– can probably do a perfect backhand even if he was blindfolded and hanging upside down.

...

Now she made herself want to see this in real life.

"30-15!"

Yasutora served again, but Yukari was ready. After returning the ball, she dashed forward, careful not to get too close to the net. Yasutora blocked it back easily, but Yukari was right there waiting. The ball touched the strings at the perfect angle and with a quick flick of her wrist she hit a volley, while Yasutora stood stunned behind the baseline.

"30-All!"

Wiping her face and her arms, Yukari didn't look back. She didn't need to see her senpai's face. She could imagine the expression, mouth agape, holding her racquet down at her knees, one hand propped on her hip, wondering what just happened.

She was fighting against the waves, that's what.

Murasaki nodded approvingly. Unlike the first volley, this one wasn't accidental at all. The execution was brilliant and the intent was clear. Now _that_ was the money shot.

Yasutora was still grumbling when she served. The return grazed the edge of the line, but it was ruled as in by Murasaki. The score was now 30-40, in favor of Yukari. Yasutora gave the amethyst-eyed second-year an incredulous look before she fired up another serve.

A rally commenced. Impressive, considering that Yasutora was one of the stronger players not selected as a regular last year. A minute passed, then five. The one to break the rally was, surprisingly, Yukari. She dished out a deep shot that kept Yasutora pinned again behind the baseline.

"Game to Shiraishi. One game all."

— ()—() —() —

In the end, Yukari was swallowed by the sea of self-doubt.

She could still replay Yasutora's movements in her head: her clean but inconsistent groundstrokes, then her agile limbs which seemed frozen every time the ball was at play anywhere near the net. The second year had a lot of weaknesses that could have been exploited, but only if Yukari was faster, stronger, more aggressive, more dynamic, more… built for tennis.

She wasn't.

'_Is it over?_' she'd ask herself after a serve, after a shot, after every move. And then the ball would once again bounce back to her, triggering another wave of dread to pull her down until there was no fight left in her.

She ended up in a draw twice, then lost to a first year classmate before coming to a draw again. A record of 1 win, 3 draws, and 3 losses. Fantastic.

At least her brother's team was not watching anymore.

"Game to Honda! 2-1! Honda gets another point."

"I did it!" The girl named Honda cried out, jumping up and down in excitement. "I won another one!"

Oh. Well. Make that 4 losses.

Yukari twirled her racquet, calmly accepting the end result. '_This was normal_,' she told herself. '_This is the best I could do under the circumstances so already I'm satisfied._' She was about to go to the drinking fountain when two girls forcefully pulled her over to the side.

"Murasaki-senpai? Kise-senpai?" Their actions caught her wrong-footed.

"You," Kise accusingly pointed a shaking a finger at her, "are a _bad_ girl!"

The brunette couldn't believe her ears. "Pardon?"

"You lost your other matches on purpose!" Kise cried out. Murasaki hissed for her to be quiet so she said, this time in a voice of a lower register, "Didn't you tell me you'll try your best imouto-chan?"

"But I already did–"

"Promise? Cross your heart? Hope to die? Even in we pinky swear in front of Buddha's gravestone?"

Buddha had a grave?!

Murasaki took over. "But anyway Shiraishi-chan, were you even aware that after your match with me and Yasutora, you ended up serving easy balls and hitting back weakly? You lost to another freshman newbie by committing double faults. What does _that_ tell you?"

Yukari's ears became pink. "That I... Uh… I'm prone to committing double faults?"

"That's not it!" Murasaki felt like she was talking to Zaizen. That guy too, he was truly a genius who rarely concentrated his effort into tennis. Something about revealing your claws later on in order to keep the opponent in the dark. But that's not even the case here. While Yukari's nowhere close to being a prodigy, judging from the practice matches Murasaki had seen, she had potential to become a terrific tennis player.

All she needed was a little push.

But Yukari seemed to misunderstand them again. "I'm really sorry. I was really tired, and they all played better than me. If you were expecting for me to be as good as my brother, then I'm really sorry to have disappointed you."

Murasaki did not miss the passive-aggressive undertone so she hesitated to answer back. However, an unsatisfied Kise jabbed a finger at Yukari's chest.

"The hell? Who said you have to be like Shiraishi-sama? He's… He's Shiraishi-sama." She made a sweeping motion to emphasize what she was saying; it was of no help. "You're Shiraishi too, but not Shiraishi No. 2! You're Shiraishi-chan, and all you have to do is do what you do best!"

Instead of being placated, Yukari flared up in indignation. Buried inside her, a hurtful memory she'd rather forget resurfaced.

"I said I was sorry," she growled, gripping her racquet so tightly her knuckles turned white. "What more do you want from me, senpai?"

Kise looked like she wanted to argue more, but Murasaki held her back.

"Hey, let's go," she told her fellow second-year, pinching her arm. The hard expression on Murasaki's face made Yukari think that she at least _understood_. "Captain's gonna announce the winners for the blocks anytime now."

The blonde hesitated before letting herself be dragged away by her teammate. "I'm not done with you, imouto-chan!" She cried out somewhat vindictively over her shoulder.

— ()—() —() —

Kenya was on his way to the lockers when he ran into a gaggle of girls, twittering with anticipation as they headed off onto the main atrium. Remembering that the ranking for the girl's team was going to be posted that afternoon, he stopped on his tracks and hovered behind to follow them.

"What's all this?" Kise asked, a manila folder tucked under her arm."You girls all here for me?"

A ripple of laughter echoed up into the atrium's high ceiling. More students came, pushing Kenya out of the way and gathering around the bulletin board. Kise reached for a piece of paper from inside her folder and studied it for a moment, before turning back to the crowd.

"May the odds be ever in your favor!" She uttered with a trill, abandoning her Kansaiben in the process.

Most of the students laughed. The others, like Shouta, only rolled their eyes. Seeing his brother lounging near the corridor, Kenya raised a hand and called out,"Yo! Shouta!"

"Oniisan." He crossed over to the third-year's side. "Don't you have practice?"

"I can afford to be late for a few minutes. Besides, Shiraishi has infirmary duties so it's Koishikawa acting as captain today." Kenya jerked his head back towards the bulletin board. "I wonder who made it to regulars..."

"Didn't know you also cared about the girl's team."

"Why do you make it sound like a crime?" Kenya whined as he playfully smacked his brother's head. Shouta gave his chin a thoughtful stroke, quite possibly to cover his smile. "I think everyone would be curious. The girl's team was stronger than ours last year, especially their singles."

"Three Sages, right?"

"Heh, where did you hear that?" But Kenya knew better than to be surprised. They got a lot of attention last year for trouncing almost every team they've encountered.

Then the semifinals happened.

Kise finished pinning the single sheet of white printer paper to the board. "Come and get it!" she chirped before bouncing away to who knew where.

The crowd pressed forward immediately.

**RESULTS:**

**1\. Kurosugi Fuu **_**(Regular Player)**_

**2\. Midoriyama Hana **_**(Regular Player)**_

**3\. Kise Nadeshiko (**_**Regular Player)**_

**4\. Murasaki Mayu** _**(Regular Player)**_

**5\. Aoba Sachi **_**(Regular Player)**_

**6\. Midoriyama Kana **_**(Regular Player)**_

**7\. Yasutora Ami **_**(Regular Player)**_

**8\. Ito Sumire **_**(Reserve Player)**_

**9\. Honda Ayumi **_**(Reserve Player)**_

**10\. Hamasaki Mio**

"I did it!" Someone squealed delightedly. Kenya took his eyes off the list and glanced at the student who was screaming non-stop. It was Honda-chan, a loud curly haired girl who had been his classmate last year. He remembered her asking him what Shiraishi's phone number was during History class.

Feh.

'_Speaking of Shiraishi, where did Yukari rank_?' Squinting, he leaned forward.

**20\. Iida Kaoru**

**21\. Fuji Sayaka**

'_Not there_?' He moved in closer. Down, down.

**30\. Miyano Yuko**

**31\. Watanabe Usagi**

'_Where was she_?' Again, closer. Down, down.

**47\. Shiraishi Yukari**

**48\. Im Yuni**

For a moment, Kenya's vision blurred as he took in the names. _Closer, closer._ But the letters didn't change, the number still reading 'forty-seven'.

Yukari did_ that_ badly?!

"She's my classmate." A pause. "Your captain's sis, I mean." There was thinly veiled mockery in Shouta's tone. "She seems smart, but doesn't she suck in tennis? The results speak for themselves."

But Kenya wasn't listening anymore– the topic of their discussion was right behind Shouta. If the grim expression she presently wore was anything to go by, she probably heard everything his brother had to say about her. Kenya opened his mouth, but nothing came out. A light breeze passed them by, then she stared hard at him, his aquamarine eyes meeting her questioning brown ones. Shouta, sensing the mood, turned around and went rigid in an instant.

"Shiraishi-san!" He couldn't look at her. "I was just– That thing I said a while ago–"

She held up a hand.

"It's okay." She was smiling so widely Kenya wondered if her jaw hurt. " Anyway," she blew her bangs, "it's not like I can do any better the way I am right now."

Kenya hated the incredible sense of resignation in the way she talked.

"Hey hey hey. Don't let it get to you, okay?" He pounded his fist. "It may be like this now, but you're still a beginner, aren't you? Everyone's gotta start from somewhere."

Kenya's lecture fell on deaf ears. Instead of listening, Yukari was watching a pair of skylarks soaring leisurely across the sky. Once they were out of sight, she turned her attention back to him.

"Then senpai…" In an instant something in her eyes changed. For one split second Kenya was even eerily reminded of his captain. "Do you think you can help me?"

"Bwuh?" A very intelligent response from Kenya, punctuated by his jaw hitting the floor.

And, just as quickly as it had come, the light in her brown eyes died once again. "Or maybe not. That was–" she dropped low in a theatrical bow, "a joke. I wanted to see what kind of face you would make."

"Oi! That wasn't funny!"

Kenya was actually thinking of accepting. He wasn't _that_ concerned, but then he remembered the Yukari with the sweet smile, the one dressed in a strappy summer dress. Present Yukari adopted a lofty look before she excused herself and made a 180 degree spin. After the brunette jogged away, Kenya noticed the bustle around the bulletin board starting to die down.

"I thought she would hit me."

"Shouta, do me a favor will ya?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

* * *

**A/N:**

Have you guys watched the first ep of the ShinTeniPuri Genius OVA? It was glorious! Zaizen had a lot of screen time so the Shitenhouji fan in me was deliriously happy. Not to mention, the opening sung by Suwabe Junichi (Atobe Keigo) sounded pretty great.

And I just noticed that Yukari's been nothing but mopey these first five chapters. She's supposed to be a much cheerful character in my head, but oh well.

_roe2_


	6. SOS

**chapter SIX: SOS  
**

* * *

Yukari peered at the top of her paper and grinned when she saw a '96' written in bright, red ink. Her teacher flashed a badly-concealed thumbs-up before moving on to another student. The brunette went back to her desk giddily, aware that she was behaving ostentatiously.

Not that she cared. It gave her some sort of consolation; she was horrible in tennis but she made up for it with her brains.

Namba Jyogakuin may have been strict and old-fashioned, but the highly demanding curriculum assured students that they would not find themselves lagging behind when it came to academic pursuits. Sure enough, being exposed to college level calculus during her junior high years only made Yukari more thankful of her old school's way of teaching.

Shitenhouji was okay too, but she was still a fish out of water. She... didn't know where she belonged. A month and a half had come and gone, yet Yukari was still left grasping for straws. Frankly, it was a miracle she didn't quit the tennis club yet.

"Okay class, listen up! I've got some good news for y'all!" The teacher announced minutes later. "We'll do a group project! A very fun group project... involving math of course!"

Groans and protests filled the room. Yukari wasn't listening, lost in her own thoughts.

"And now I would announce which students would be grouped together—"

The brunette flipped her wrist to look at a white resin wristwatch, a gift from her fashionable sister Yuki. Almost lunch time. She didn't want to go the cafeteria, but one hastily prepared sandwich wouldn't be enough to satisfy her stomach.

Generally she was a light eater, but there have also been quite a number of times when she poured food down her throat with a funnel, staggered upstairs to her room, slept like the dead for twelve straight hours, and then crawled back down to empty the rest of the fridge before collapsing on the couch (if she had the presence of mind to locate it) or on the floor (if she did not). Of course, she wasn't anything like that here in school, but she needed all the energy she could get for tennis practice later that afternoon. Kurosugi-buchou would definitely make them run suicides again until they couldn't feel their legs.

"And the smartest in class, Shiraishi Yukari-chan, will be paired with Tooyama Kintarou-kun to help him pull through," the teacher said, snapping Yukari out of it.

She heard only bits and pieces here and there, her mind too lost to properly absorb what the teacher said. "Wait, sensei?" she stood up, intending to ask him to repeat what he just said.

"That's it for me!" Giving no indication that he had heard her, the teacher hurriedly sashayed out of the room, humming Shitenhouji's school anthem.

She didn't catch anything. Confused, Yukari swiveled her head to ask her seatmate Kintarou... only to find his seat already without its occupant. He probably used the window as if it was a damn door again– that would certainly explain how he got past her.

Feeling defeated, Yukari laid her head on her desk and watched as students went out in groups. The others who stayed clumped their desks together and laid down tablecloths; some distributed milk and bread and other such ordered food; and then there were students from other classes who dropped by to have lunch with their friends.

All in all, a normal lunch period.

"Hey."

Kenya's head popped out from behind the door frame. Some of the students gave him brief, cursory glances but otherwise didn't make a fuss out of his appearance.

Yukari didn't bother lifting her head up. "If you're looking for your brother, he already went ahead. He might be in the cafeter—"

"I'm not here for Shouta."

Yukari paused. Stared at Kenya. Watched as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's not a big deal, just thought about last week... When you know..." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I get it now, that you don't want to rely on your brother."

"And when did I ever say that?" Deep inside, Yukari was panicking. She didn't act like a miserable, pathetic girl in front of him and everyone else did she? Maybe they thought the ranking affected her _that_ badly. Sure, it rankled her, but—

"No, I mean..." Kenya was searching for words, then faltered. "I was assuming, so if I was wrong— But, heck." He beckoned for her to come forward, gave her a meaningful look. Hesitantly, she obliged and stepped out of the classroom. "It's okay if you think I'm sticking my nose in your business, but I have a cousin who is a genius. And geniuses have a way of making you feel inferior, and I suppose... geniuses and big brothers can be the same, you know?"

But she couldn't understand where he was getting at. Yukari was ready to boil in part-annoyance, part-embarrassment, when—

"Mayu-chan."

"Huh?"

"Murasaki Mayu– you know her right? Super pretty, gets lead roles for musicals here in Shiten. She even figure skates." Yukari didn't know any of these things about her senpai, but figured it would be a good idea to tuck these pieces of information for future reference. "She'll help you out."

"Help me?"

Kenya nodded, brightening up. "She's really nice, just tell her she's pretty and kind and a great senpai and she'll willingly agree!"

...That made it seem as if Murasaki was easily lured by false compliments.

And wait, why was he saying these things to her? Did her brother make him do it?

But Kenya didn't explain anything in detail anymore. His eyes flickering to the side, he let out a yelp before speeding off as if his life depended on it.

Yukari was left stunned.

Did her senpai just _ditch_ her?

There was no time to wrap her head around it. Before she could get back inside her classroom, the Midoriyama twins practically materialized out of thin air next to her, each holding a Nikon DSLR. Truly, they lived up to their reputation of being modern-day 'kunoichis'.

One of them brushed her braid back. "Yukari-chan, what a surprise."

She should be the one surprised. Still, she chose to stay polite. "Good afternoon, Kana-senpai." She bobbed a head towards the other twin. "Good afternoon, Kana-senpai."

"But I'm Hana."

Yukari had the grace to blush. "That was... I thought Hana-san wore her braids in a more..." And then her hands made a weaving motion in the air, trying to convey something even she didn't know. "Kinda neatly tied up like that?"

The twins seemed to have forgotten the mix-up. Instead, they were eying Yukari with similar gleaming, calculating looks.

"So, any clue where Oshitari-senpai went?" Hana inquired pleasantly after an unnerving silence.

"Uhmm..." Why were they interested in him? "I think he headed off over there?" She said, pointing to the direction the speed star took.

The two flashed beaming smiles and then went on their way. Yukari frowned, wondering why they asked her when it was obvious that they already knew the direction he took off.

— ()—() —() —

Tennis practice that afternoon was extra sucky.

If there was someone whose very existence revolved in making her life in Shitenhouji hell, it would probably be Kurosugi. The brunette couldn't help but notice that there would always be a pronounced smirk gracing the captain's thin lips every time she went over to the regulars' courts to collect the balls. And no, she wasn't just imagining it. A fellow first-year even daringly wondered aloud what unholy crime she committed to offend their captain.

"I don't know." Yukari grumpily threw a ball inside the basket. "Maybe she already has PMS."

Just her luck, someone ferreted her out. Needless to say, Kurosugi didn't find her little joke funny. Yukari ended up running double the laps of a non-regular that day.

Somewhere between lap number 20 and 30, Kenya's advice to seek Murasaki's help completely slipped off Yukari's mind.

— ()—() —() —

"Come on!"

The combination of violent button mashing and unladylike grunts drowned out all sounds in the room. The girl, eyes fixed firmly on the screen, let out a wail as her life bar turned red.

"fsdfadfa"

Shiraishi barged into her room, arms crossed and wearing a disapproving look. "Yukari, did you eat your lunch?"

"Later!"

Shiraishi sighed, exited the room, then came back carrying a tray of food. "I brought lunch for you," he informed the girl, intentionally raising his voice.

"Put it there somewhere, Kuuchan," she said abruptly, not bothering to lift her gaze from the screen. Yukari was still sprawled on the carpeted floor, a slumbering white cat curled up next to her.

"It's been in there 'somewhere' at the dining table for two hours already, untouched," coolly replied Shiraishi, setting the tray on her study table. He hated it when people wasted food or took for granted the simple pleasure of eating home-cooked meals. That his sister would also be like this...

"Later, Kuuchan, I said L-A-T-E-R." She clamped her mouth shut when the background music changed. A cut scene played, sending Yukari into a squealing frenzy. Shiraishi, unamused, stepped forward and quickly pulled out the power plug for the game console. The girl's face fell when the screen turned black.

"Why did you do that?" The brunette whirled around and glowered at her brother. "I almost finished the story mode!"

"It's just a game," Shiraishi reached out to pat his sister's head.

"Stop that, I'm not Ecstachan!" Yukari swatted her brother's hand away and stuck a tongue out.

"I wonder." He now held a neutral expression. "Even Ecstachan comes over when you call her for lunch. Like all cats are, she is capricious, but she at least knows that meals don't just fall from the sky." The said cat opened her eyes and let out a soft purr before licking a paw, as if agreeing with her master's earlier statement.

"W-Well..." Yukari's anger vanished. She knew her brother was right; rarely was he wrong about anything. "Whatever." She shrugged, then stared at her table. "By the way, are Mom and Dad out?"

"If you'd bothered to listen, they told us this morning that they were attending a luncheon in Kyoto."

The brunette frowned and poked her food with a chopstick. "Figures. Otherwise, you wouldn't be serving me such unappetizing dishes."

"They are healthy for you," Shiraishi replied with all seriousness. As a health nut, Shiraishi was convinced that eating organic and counting calories resulted in leaner, happier bodies. Sometimes he even made avoiding foods with artificial colors, flavors or preservatives seem like a Spartan obsession.

Take her 'lunch' for instance.

Stir-fried vegetables, a rice ball, one bowl of miso soup and a glass of prune juice. Now, Yukari wasn't that much of a picky eater, but Shiraishi always, _always_ served this meal or a variation of it every time he was left in charge of the kitchen. She sulked, then picked up the metal duck spoon. She caught her blurry reflection– a girl with uncombed hair and dark shadows beneath her eyes stared right back.

A lot of things have been running in her head, causing her to lose sleep.

"You know, I've been thinking."

"Thinking of what?"

It wouldn't hurt to know what her brother thought...

"Of quitting."

There came a moment of silence. Yukari could see her brother's muscles contract as he inhaled, the pine and peppermint scent of his perfume strengthening.

Ah, maybe she shouldn't have said anything?

But there was no backpedaling now.

She waited for a response, anxiously drumming her fingers on the table. When it was clear that he would not say anything first, she slowly met his eyes. A bad move. Her brother, as it turned out, was looking at her, just _looking_ at her. Something in the focus of his gaze made her feel small, made her feel like a child caught stealing from a cookie jar.

Yukari held her breath.

"I suggest you follow your heart, see where it takes you," Shiraishi flatly recommended, using that voice big brothers used when imparting something important to a younger sibling. "Anyway, you're the only person who has the faintest idea of what should be right for you."

"That's it?" The girl couldn't help but gape, disappointed with the perfectly ordinary response. She had been hoping for a more solid advice. "Aren't you angry? Disappointed? You don't want to... to tell me if I'm making the _right_ move?"

"Is that what you're hoping for? That I would tell you what to do?"

Yukari winced as if scorched. "Of course not—"

"But you wanted me to say something, right?"

She wanted to respond, to tell him he was wrong. That he was mistaken, that she just wanted to inform him, that was all. But there was something in his voice that stopped her. Something that made her feel transparent, uncertain, vulnerable. As if he knew her better than she knew herself. Maybe unconsciously, a part of her accepted that. And maybe what he said was true– that she was relying on her brother so she can wash her hands off the entire matter free of guilt.

But to hear him say it so bluntly dispensed a heavy feeling inside her heart.

Shiraishi, to his credit, didn't try to make the exchange any more awkward than it already was. "Put the plate and the bowl on the sink when you're done," he said, his back turned to her. "I'll take care of it."

If only she knew how to confidently say she can take care of things too...

— ()—() —() —

With her right index finger, she pressed down the higher Mi key. Yes, she thought everything started from that sound. Yukari drew up a chair and properly faced the piano. It had been quite some time since she had last touched the family piano. She had attended piano school once a week for the last two years of elementary school, but as it never managed to become a significant part of her, she quit as she entered middle school.

Mi-.

She played the same sound once more. This time, depending on her memory of sound, she tried to reproduce that song she heard all those years ago. If it were just her right index finger, she could somewhat reproduce the melody.

Fa-.

So-Re-Mi-.

It was starting to sound like Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade, the piece she would've played had she attended her last recital with her piano teacher.

She stopped, her fingers suspended in mid-air. With a troubled heart, she recalled how she quit piano lessons once she became convinced that she couldn't hope to become as good as the other kids learning with her. And then, the year after that, she dropped out from the swim team and the light music club.

Now that she had ample time for self-reflection, it finally occurred to Yukari that she had a tendency of calling it quits before the heat could get to her. Even in Namba Jyogakuin, she never stayed as a club member for more than a month. Like what she thought before, it was truly a miracle that she was still part of the tennis club.

"A-Ah." Yukari bit her lip. "I really need someone to tell me what to do, huh..."

— ()—() —() —

She was aware that by seeking out Murasaki's help, she was only proving her brother's point that she needed someone to give her life direction. Sort of. But what choice did she have? She could just suck it up and pray for a miraculous improvement in tennis overnight, but the odds of that happening are... below zero.

Of course, she could always ask her brother for help. Heck, people probably thought she regularly asked for his counsel. They would think that, sure, but they never considered her pride. To begin with, being the youngest meant that she would naturally be spoiled in some way or another. That she was the precious baby of the family only served to mask her obstinacy as an endearing part of her personality even when she entered adolescence.

("She's just a child, she'll learn in no time!")

The last resort was to quit.

(Shiraishi Yukari, _quitter extraordinaire_. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?)

"Hmm, I see." Murasaki's voice was as clear as bells even on the phone. "I know just the place we can meet up."

Luckily for her, the second-year graciously agreed to help.

— ()—() —() —

Since Sunday was a family day, there weren't a lot of people down the local indoor tennis courts. Yukari had no problem spotting Murasaki, especially when there was a group of teenaged boys circling around her. After making eye contact, the waiflike girl murmured something to the group and went on ahead to greet a confused Yukari.

"Senpai, aren't they your friends?"

Murasaki seemed uncomfortable, but her voice was level when she replied, "No, I just get hit on a lot."

Yukari had no trouble believing that. Murasaki was pretty, the kind of pretty that even top idols in Japan would kill to be. Even today, with her light makeup and sensible athletic wear, she carried such a fresh but refined feel to her that it was impossible not to get caught in her allure.

"Thanks for coming, senpai," Yukari said, walking side-by-side with the second-year. Somehow, her heart was pounding furiously. "It must've really been a surprise when I called you out of the blue, huh?"

"My services aren't free."

Yukari almost tripped. "Do I need to pay you?"

"Not exactly." Murasaki smacked her lips together and winked, the meaning of such actions unclear to Yukari. Deciding to not think about it too much, she followed Murasaki and entered the lobby. Yukari sat down and picked up a magazine which featured Djokovic on its cover while the twintailed girl negotiated with court arrangements.

Someone came up and kicked her ankle.

"Aww!" Yukari dropped the sports magazine. "What the he—" Recognition flashed across her features once she took in the unruly blonde hair and the familiar upturned curl of the girl's mouth. "Fukubuchou?"

"Yo!"

"W-What... What are you doing here?"

"Hmm." Kise was absently twirling the puffy polka-dotted skirt she wore. "I guess you can say Mayuyu and I are like a 'Buy 1, Get 1' package, yeah?"

The gears of Yukari's mind started turning. For Kise-senpai to also be here... That meant Murasaki blabbed about their supposed-to-be-secret practice! Feeling hurt and betrayed, she shot a sullen look towards the amethyst-eyed girl.

Was _this_ what she meant earlier?

Yukari internally wrestled with the idea of going home, but when Kise steered her towards the courts, she decided that beggars couldn't be choosers. At the very least, she should be thankful that two capable upperclassman would watch over her although a part of her wished that one of them wasn't Kise. Their glasses-wearing vice-captain was the kind who would say one thing, then do another. For instance, she had heavily voiced her support of Yukari the first few weeks she'd become a member but as time wore on, the blonde had all but forgotten about her.

Flaky.

That was it, Kise was_ flaky_.

Still, she let herself be dragged inside the building. The indoor courts were lined up in a row, a chain-link fence enclosing them in a huge rectangle.

Kise spread her arms so that they embraced the whole area before them. "Here we are! Now, now, don't be shy! Mi casa es su casa."

"But your dad owns this place, not you," Murasaki pointed out with a cheeky tone. Kise cried out and lightly tugged her friend's hair in protest.

So that's how it was. Kise's family owned the indoor courts. No wonder they didn't need to make advance reservations on a Sunday.

Yukari bit the inside of her cheek, finally realizing the reason why Murasaki let Kise in on their secret. Kurosugi scheduled matches and training regimens for regulars like Murasaki everyday. With that in mind, it would therefore be unlikely for the second year to find the time and place to mentor her especially with Districts looming on the horizon.

She suddenly felt sorry for thinking that Murasaki purposely trampled on her trust.

"We need to do some dynamic conditioning first," Kise told the two. There was authority in her voice, one that Yukari rarely heard. She had to remind herself that Kise was still the vice-captain of the club, no matter how absurd it might sound.

Arm circles, carioca drills, knee hug lunges, and jumping jacks. The twenty minute warm-up was nothing new to Yukari; it was, after all, precisely the same as the one they always did during the start of afternoon practices. But then, Kise stopped, turned around, and stretched a leg so that it almost reached her head.

"Whooo!" She sounded ecstatic. "Can-can!"

...And once again, Yukari didn't know what to make of the situation.

Murasaki didn't bat an eyelash. "Okay, warm-ups are over. Help me arrange those cones over there," she whispered to Yukari.

Tossing her racquet bag against the fence, she leaned down and grabbed the small orange cones sitting on the ground. Moving to the middle of the court, she placed them about ten feet apart and stood in the center.

"Alright, let me see you do the footwork drills."

Yukari drew a deep breath. On Murasaki's signal, she made a crossover step to the right and then back to the middle, another crossover to the left before again retreating. Over and over, keeping her feet moving and then faster and faster, like she'd seen Kurosugi demonstrate before.

"Not bad," Kise whistled. "But those turns could be smoother."

"Hmm..."

After Yukari completed 50 sets, she jogged to the corner where Murasaki awaited. "How was it?" she asked, breathing through her mouth.

Murasaki shook her head. "That was terrible."

Kise let out an amused laugh, while Yukari struggled for words. "S-Senpai... What... Was I _slow_?"

"It's not the speed that matters." Murasaki stepped into the courts and tossed a cone aside. "It's just that the way you did that drill looked mechanical and labored. Honestly, what were you thinking when you did those drills?"

"...Nothing."

Murasaki took the other cone with her. "Exactly. A lot of times, mindlessly doing the same thing over and over can give you zero results. Well, I suppose, doing all of that still built up your stamina... But like I said, it hardly matters when there's no thought in your movements."

Yukari's shoulders sagged.

"When solving a math equation, do you just try different combinations in hopes of getting the correct answer by luck? That would be wasting time, right? First, you analyze the problem. Next, you come up with a logical way to solve it. That's how it is." She smiled thinly. "Even if you were to give the excuse of muscle memory, recklessly going through the motions is no alternative to deliberate practice."

"Unless you're a prodigy," Kise interjected, making Murasaki shake her head.

"Zaizen, plus that super rookie the boys have, are part of the 1% who make it look easy." She regally tilted her chin up. "But it's not like there's no hope for us."

Kise started whispering something to Murasaki. A minute passed, then the violet-haired girl gave the first year an unreadable look. "Grab some water and get back here once you're rehydrated. We're gonna be playing a game."

After Yukari returned, Murasaki instructed for her to stand near the baseline while Kise walked over to the other side. "My opponent's Kise-senpai?" she asked, anxiety evident on her tone.

"It's simple, you just have to return one serve."

Just like that?

That really was simple.

Yukari had no time to ponder about this strange development; Kise was already bouncing a ball with her right hand in preparation. Readying her racquet, Yukari got into receiving position. The blonde's toss went up.

"Point to Kise."

And then it was over.

"...Eh?" Yukari was flabbergasted. She registered the hitting motion, but did not realize that the ball already hit the ground. She was reminded of an upgraded version of Aoba's serve: deadlier, faster, and even more precise. Murasaki threw another ball to Kise. The bespectacled girl grinned again before giving Yukari a warning that chilled her to the core:

"Even if you get eaten alive, let's have fun okay?"

At that point, her tension went up. She creased her brows and tried to chase after a ball, only to have it land inches away from where she stood. Another serve. Yukari ran after the ball and swung, but she wasn't fast enough. Kise followed it up with a twist serve. Again, it was no good. A heavy slice serve threw Yukari completely off-guard afterwards. She dove for the next ball, but only succeeded in scraping her arm.

To think that Kise was only doing serves!

"Had enough, imouto-chan?" The blonde was staring down at the younger girl, a relaxed smile playing on her lips. Yukari narrowed her eyes at her dominant arm; Kise was a southpaw, and it worked perfectly to the blonde's advantage. In tennis, facing a left-handed opponent always required a quick adjustment. You have to mentally flip the court when playing.

Yukari missed another ball.

"Damn it!"

10 minutes later, Murasaki was already requesting for a time-out. Yukari could barely stand up, her arms resting on her knees as she caught her breath. In comparison, Kise hardly broke a sweat. It was now both embarrassingly and astonishingly clear how much of a gap there was between Yukari and the Shitenhouji team's second-in-command.

"If you get a ball past her, I'll show you a footwork drill that would have even buchou cursing."

...Was that supposed to motivate her? Murasaki simply smiled and waved a hand, signalling that the break was over.

But nothing changed. The court expanded beneath her feet, the net began to disappear, and Kise had been transformed into a giant which could crush her with just a flick of the finger.

When Kise said she wanted to have fun, Yukari sensed that she really wanted to have fun. In short, the blonde wasn't doing this to be purposely mean. She knew this and still, the game was so one-sided that Murasaki had to stop the game again. Yukari crawled to the bench and grabbed another bottle of water, drinking hastily even as the violet-haired girl asked her to be careful in case she choked.

"So what do you think?"

"E-Eh?"

Murasaki gave her a fierce look. "You think you can return one?"

Yukari closed her eyes. She was doing so badly Murasaki had to ask if she could hit back the ball, isn't that funny? "I don't know," she shrugged helplessly. "Maybe I can't."

"Ah, there it is. The root of all your problems."

The brunette wiped her mouth. "Senpai?"

Murasaki's expression softened, her deep frown disappearing like a cat's claws being retreated. Something changed in the air. Before Yukari could ask what was wrong, she grabbed the younger girl's shoulder and whispered in a solemn tone:

"The moment you say 'I can't' is the moment you seal your doom."

— ()—() —() —

Yukari was sure that she wouldn't be able to go to school come Monday morning. Her muscles ached all over. Actually, it wouldn't be a surprise if her soul left her body before she even reached the school gates.

'_I don't know how you'll do it, but I won't help you until you complete this challenge._'

Murasaki-senpai... Yukari thought she was a cool girl, but she could be cruel-hearted too! That wasn't practice... that was... that was_ bullying_!

She whimpered as she thought of her brother and his team. They were laidback and didn't even practice as hard and as much as the girls. Why was there such a huge difference between the two teams? But then she mentally slapped herself when her mind conjured an image of their captain, the frosty Kurosugi who probably didn't know the meaning of the word 'mercy.'

Whining won't change anything though. She opened her closet and—

"Oh." Her eyes bugged out as a sudden thought occurred to her. Quickly, she got to her feet and went to find her brother.

Crap, she completely forgot to contact Tooyama Kintarou for their math project!

* * *

**A/N:**

Haha I changed the summary and added KenyaYukari. Figured I'm heading in that direction so might as well warn the readers! /bricked/

I must confess, I wanted to speed things up a bit so we can see more of the canon characters and get on with Districts, but Yukari's issues needed to be somehow addressed first. The next chapter will be shorter and would probably be done in less than a week.

By the way, I'm doing this short profile thing at the end of each chapter to help you readers get familiarized with some of the Shitenhouji girls. I'm starting with Yukari and Murasaki.

* * *

_SHIRAISHI YUKARI_ of Class 1-4

**_Appearance:_** Has warm brown eyes and an oval face. Ties up her long, wavy, brown hair into ponytails at both sides of her head. Average height and weight. Yukari takes pride in her cute button nose– sadly the only feature she believes is remarkable about her.  
**_Personality &amp; Quirks:_ **Girl-next-door type, clever, unconsciously suffers from Jonah complex.  
**_Current Concern:_** Getting Sugiura Takashi's autograph. (Note: He is a Japanese pro-wrestler.)

* * *

_MURASAKI MAYU_ of Class 2-7

_**Appearance:** _ Amethyst eyes. Has long dark hair tied into twintails and secured by eye-catching silk ribbons; under direct sunlight, her hair appears violet. Has a mole on the right side of her chin. Considered extremely pretty, to the point where it is a common occurrence to be asked if she's a celebrity or not. Waiflike build.  
**_Personality &amp; Quirks:_** Empathetic, graceful, sometimes vain.  
**_Current Concern:_** Audition for Shitenhouji's upcoming original musical 'Namba No. 5'.

* * *

Which two OCs would you like to know more about next chapter?

_roe2_


	7. Strike Back

**A/N:**This chapter is dedicated to the lovely** Descending Rainfall** . Please check out her fanfic '**_From Sky High_**' when you can!

* * *

**chapter SEVEN: Strike Back**

* * *

"Man, where's Yuuji? He promised to bring us his copy of the latest Persona game."

Zaizen opened one eye to look at his teammate Kenya, eating a pie-like substance that even from across the room smelled revolting. He closed his eye, wondering why today of all days would Kenya and Yuuji decide to invade his house just so they can play stupid video games. They had a match tomorrow, and... why was he only informed that afternoon when he's supposed to be the fricking host?! Not to mention, his mother readily invited them to dinner without hesitation.

_"Oh! Oshitari-kun,' Zaizen's mother cooed as she greeted them by the doorway. "Thanks for taking care of our unsociable Hikaru! Will Shiraishi-kun and the rest be coming too?"_

Everyone in his family, he swore, liked everyone else in his team better than him.

Traitors, the lot of them.

Kenya got to his feet and inspected his vintage records collection. "Hey, didn't you promise last time you'll tell us how you got the money to pay for all these stuff?"

"I said no such thing," he replied, directing the comment to the insides of his eyelids. "And don't touch them."

"Yes, old man," Kenya teased, but his attention was fixed on a ridiculously fat basset hound stuck in between the bookshelves. "Come here, buddy. That's it." He hoisted the dog up before placing him at the foot of Zaizen's bed. The dog let out a huge sigh, making Zaizen pop open an eye again.

"I think someone has been sneaking Jimi sausages again," he grumbled.

The Speed Star looked elsewhere. This prompted Zaizen to give the other boy a withering look.

"Senpai."

"He looked so hungry," Kenya insisted.

"_That_ looks hungry?" The second-year motioned towards the canine, who had, after about thirty seconds of standing in place, plopped his bottom on the carpeted floor. Frankly, he had expected the dog to collapse in exhaustion.

"His eyes looked hungry!" Kenya looked down; Jimi was intently eying his food. "See! He's doing it right now!"

Zaizen groaned.

Jimi, named after the legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix, was his brother's 9 year old basset hound. His brother adored Jimi, but naturally bumped the dog down his priority list once he got married. His brother's family still lived under the roof of Zaizen's parents house, but his brother was saving up enough money so his family can move into a spacious apartment next to his workplace. That way, he won't have to commute back and forth from Tokyo to Osaka on the weekends.

Naturally, with so much on his plate, he had asked Zaizen to take care of his beloved dog in his place. Zaizen didn't like the idea, even asked if Murasaki wanted to adopt a dog... only to find out that she was allergic. They had to bring her to Kenya's dad who prescribed antihistamines to clear out the nasty side-effects.

(That was the worst he's ever seen her look, skin covered with large, red blotches. Any other day, she might as well have stepped out from the glossy pages of a magazine.)

"—oh yeah! And that time, Yuushi actually left the cage open so my first iguana got away and was ran over by a truck! That sly guy who could close his heart… It's obvious he should stay away from animals!"

What even.

Truly, his senpai's ability to direct the conversation into a topic where he could make his cousin relevant was nothing short of amazing.

Kenya continued ranting, hands making random gestures in the air. "I can't believe Shouta's on his side. What does he have that I don't?"

"Maybe a girlfriend?" Zaizen guessed, inspecting his nails.

Kenya pursed his lips, his expression suddenly hardening.

Oh. A bingo? That interested the genius second-year.

"Hn. But senpai, if it bothers you that much," Zaizen shooed Jimi away with a hand, "why don't you get back together with your last one? That shouldn't be a problem."

There were times when Kenya could appear serious too; this was one such moment. This boy with the contemplative look was very different from the normally cheerful senpai Zaizen was used to seeing. Kenya finished his food with a huge bite and licked his fingers. Without looking at Zaizen, he muttered faintly:

"For a genius, you sure can be stupid."

— ()—() —() —

Kintarou's face seemed to scrunch up into a single point, testing and jabbing the fragile bubble of Yukari's patience.

Tugging her ponytails, she pointed out in frustration, "No, no! We have to find the selling price first you see?" She scribbled something down. "x will be the selling price, therefore, x - 20%x = 200,000. After solving the equation, we'll have 250,000. Only then can we solve for the commission price!"

"I just don't get this…" Kintarou slumped over the the table and played with a paper airplane.

That response just about said everything. Even Yukari was ready to flip a table in defeat.

The two were partnered up for a project which would account for about 60% of their grade for that trimester. It wouldn't be presented until late July, but since this was Shitenhouji, there was a twist to make things 'exciting'.

Their teacher, also the head of the drama club, wanted them to prepare a 5-7 minute drama which involved applying at least 10 practical algebra problems in an everyday setting. The script would be submitted in two weeks' time, at least a month and a half before the 'performance'. That wouldn't have been too bad, but their teacher hinted that complete mastery of their topic was strongly encouraged since they would be given an on-the-spot quiz depending on their subject matter. Of course, the more difficult the topic, the higher the mark.

Yukari could see them flunking already.

The redhead moaned, pushing away his notebook.

Yukari glared at him, wondering how on earth he graduated middle school when he was so… so… so mathematically disabled. '_The supernova on the courts is a bit lacking in the brains department_ ," she thought wryly. She watched as her classmate went back to the word problem in an attempt to solve it again. Minutes later, she could feel tears threatening to fall down her cheeks.

"Tooyama-kun…" Her hands were shaking. "How on earth did you end up with 1000 takoyaki as payment fee?"

"Uh." The boy scratched his head and looked up the ceiling. "Intuition?" He then flashed a V-sign, seemingly unaware that this action was the last straw for his partner.

"I give up," Yukari weakly declared, head lolling to the side. "Honestly, playing tennis is harder in comparison so how can you not get this?"

"Tennis is easy!" Kintarou protested hotly, banging his hands on the table. The librarian, seated across them, gave them a warning look. "Like like like…" He struggled for words. "Like breathing! You don't need to think when playing tennis. Having fun is the most important!"

"You don't– _you don't think_ ? Not even your opponent's moves?"

"Uh, I don't think I should be worried about them?" The super rookie scratched his head. "As long as I can hit the ball back!"

A frown marred the brunette's features. What was up with this boy? If there was a tennis cult, he might as well become the most active devotee; his mind was only full of tennis.

And also, what kind of simpleminded answer was that? Just hit the ball back? Think of _nothing_ ? It's the opposite of what Murasaki told her a few days ago.

'_The way you did that drill looked mechanical and labored_ .'

Yukari bolted upright. Wait, wait, wait. Murasaki also said something like that. Before she gave a short lecture about the importance of purpose in movement, she made a comment on how mechanical her body movements were. That time, she couldn't understand why Murasaki chose to point that out, but now that she thought about it, she may have unconsciously been _too conscious_ of herself, if that made sense.

'_Like breathing!_ '

In her head, she was reaching for scattered puzzle pieces suspended in mid-air. Murasaki's words echoed around her, but Kin-chan's sure voice overlapped with hers. The two had different approaches to tennis, but somehow, Yukari sensed that neither was wrong.

Tennis, like math, can have different solutions and still arrive at the same conclusion.

Murasaki was right, she needed to be mindful of her every move. A single misstep could mean the loss of a crucial point. On the other hand, Kintarou's straightforward view of how tennis should be played made Yukari realize that sometimes, keeping it simple was the way to go.

As long as she hit the ball back.

"I see. In tennis, there's no ball that's unreturnable right?"

Yukari was talking to herself, but Kintarou thought she was addressing him. He doubled over with laughter, almost as if he found something funny in her statement. "Even if there was," he sported a grin, "I'll find a way to break through!"

Kintarou's serious delivery made Yukari want to crack up. Ironically, instead of helping him, he was the one who ended up helping her.

— ()—() —() —

"The match between first seed Shitenhouji Koukou and eight seed Minami Gakuen will now commence," said an official over the loudspeakers. "Both teams, please line up on the designated court."

Yukari watched as her team and Minami's lined up. Kurosugi, as harsh-looking as ever, held out a pale hand and shook with the captain of Minami. Aoba's eyes were cast downwards –what else was new?– and Murasaki seemed to have said something that made her opponent's shoulders relax. The twins were already whispering to each other after a one second handshake, while the two sub-regulars who were paired together for Doubles Two grinned nervously.

Directing her attention towards the bench area, Yukari found the fair-headed vice-captain, practically sprawled over her bench and completely not making an effort in masking her annoyance that she wasn't part of the lineup. The girls' team may have listed Watanabe Osamu as their club advisor, but officially, they did not have a coach. For today's match, Kise was the one stationed at the coach's bench, but judging from the glares Kurosugi cast over Kise's way, they both probably weren't happy with the decision.

But if so, why didn't the captain volunteer to sit out a match and watch as the 'coach' instead?

"Don don do-do-don! Shi-ten-hou-ji! Don don do-do-don! Shi-ten-hou-ji!"

Their schoolmates beat on the _taiko_ drums they carried with them, filling their side of the bleachers with a festive atmosphere. At the same time, the vigorous cheering of the Shitenhouji students agitated the few Minami supporters. They rallied together and shouted at the top of their lungs some choice insults as a counter.

"Bring the comedy school down! Minami Gakuen, let's go!

"The Three Sages are down! Minami Gakuen, let's go!"

"Shitty Houji is going down! Minami Gakuen, let's go!"

The catty remarks being hurled out only fired up the Shitenhouji cheerers. They began to beat the drums harder to drown out the chanting of the Minami students.

"Ha…" Yukari weakly laughed. "So intense. It's like we're in the finals already or something."

"Shitenhouji always knows how to work a crowd," her brother breezily said.

The boys' team also had district matches, but they were scheduled a little later in the afternoon, about an hour after lunchtime. They were also the first seed, but to get a bye for Prefecturals, they need to show up for Districts and place in the top two. In any case, Shiraishi showed up three hours early and decided to watch the girls' matches to pass the time. He chose a seat right beside his sister, prompting Kise to occasionally give longing looks in their general direction.

"In Districts, we need to play all 5 one-set matches," Shiraishi sighed, his tone revealing that he disagreed with this policy. "But Nationals is more brutal; we have to play best of 3 sets, the 3rd being a 10 point match tie-breaker if needed."

"But in the pro-circuit, isn't that considered light? Two out of three for women and three out of five for men is the norm."

Shiraishi nodded, straight-faced. "That's right. The pro-circuit is where mental fortitude is definitely tested."

The brunette has never heard of her brother talking about tennis in his future, but for a moment, she was convinced that he longed to experience the life of a professional player for himself. It wouldn't be strange, Yukari thought, but at the same time, she also knew that her brother wanted to enter med school.

"Anything wrong?"

She recognized the look of concern on her brother's face and immediately shook her head. "I'm fine, just thought of something," she replied, smiling to reassure her brother.

— ()—() —() —

Doubles Two soon started. Their representatives, Honda and Ito, stepped into the courts witch matching determined expressions.

From the bleachers, Yukari watched as the game progressed. The sub-regulars were in excellent form, but they made a few silly mistakes here and there that gave some points away. Still, they took an early 5-0 lead, enough to make the Shitenhouji crowd go wild. They were on their way to winning the 6th, when the Minami D2 team began to make an unexpected turnaround.

5-1… 5-2… 5-3… 5-4…

The ball sailed past Ito. The chair umpire called out, "5 games all!"

It was starting to look bad for the Shitenhouji Team, especially since it was obvious the Minami girls were targeting an exhausted Ito to ride the momentum. They hung on to their teeth, with Honda miraculously covering both her and her double partner's side of the courts. In the end, through sheer force of will, the Honda-Ito pair managed to secure the next two games, thus winning one for Shitenhouji.

"DON DON DO-DO-DON SHITENHOUJIIII!"

Kurosugi didn't look too pleased. She was practically glaring daggers at Ito. In comparison, Kise didn't seem bothered at all, only cheerily handing out towels and water jugs.

"Why does she look so annoyed?" Yukari spoke out in a hushed tone. She didn't like her captain, felt pricked that she had the nerve to show contempt when the two girls won their match. "If she wanted a better lineup, she could've taken out Ito-senpai and replaced her with Yasutora-senpai."

"It's not that easy," Shiraishi replied, shaking his head. "You see, when making a lineup, if two players are compatible and want to play together, then it's best to give them that privilege. And from what I've seen, Yasutora is a competent player, but does poorly in doubles. " He gestured to the two sub-regulars who were hugging each other. "They're good friends and work well together. Your captain saw that and decided to slot them into D2."

"But.. But…" Yukari found herself looking at a certain glasses-wearing blonde. "What about Kise-senpai? She could've been paired together with either Honda-senpai or Ito-senpai. Instead, she was benched."

Exasperation crossed Shiraishi's face. "Well. It's not in our place to question Kurosugi's and Kise's decisions too much, wouldn't you say?"

Yukari was saved from having to come up with an intelligent response when the announcer declared the start of the second match. Kurosugi barked at the twins, but her words were drowned out by the cheers from the crowd. The two marched to take their spots, each wearing convincingly angelic smiles.

"You should probably watch this," Shiraishi advised, leaning forward. "I don't think there's a doubles team in Japan that can copy their play style."

_That_ got Yukari's attention.

— ()—() —() —

Even from the early stages of the match, the game was so one-sided it almost hurt Yukari to see the struggle of the Minami players. What baffled her in this match was the horrendous teamwork of the Minami team. They would scream at each other for reacting too late, or even too early. The brunette would have thought that the reason they were having problems was because of the difference in skill, but…

Was it just her or did it look like the twins weren't even making an effort to win at all?

'_No, that's not it. Besides, the Minami side is not self-imploding and the players don't look tired either. _' Yukari narrowed her eyes, watching the two teams intently. '_Something else is at play here_ .'

It finally hit her in the third game. That it took her this long to notice made her feel stupid.

"_Kunoichis_ ," she breathed, remembering the nicknames they have been bestowed upon.

Shiraishi smirked. "Light on their feet, barely making a sound. Not only that, when they hit the ball with their racquets—"

"Game to Shitenhoujis' Midoriyama-Midoriyama pair! 4-0!"

"—they don't produce a sound."

Physics taught Yukari that when two object collide, kinetic energy is converted to sound and thermal energy. Indeed, it should not be possible for them to mask the distinctive sound of a ball bouncing across the courts, but they were doing it right now, forcing errors from confused opponents.

How scary, this 'sound of silence'.

— ()—() —() —

Even before the referee announced the twins' win, Aoba was already on standby, jumping up and down to stay warm and loose. She was doing her stretches when Kise called out to her and said something that made her crack a small smile. When she entered the courts, the crowd started whispering.

"Getting desperate?" There were boos among the crowd. "No more Three Sages, so you send in a freshman!"

The Minami High supporters jeered and laughed when Aoba tripped on her feet. Yukari glared at them all. She wasn't good friends with the only freshman starter in the team, but she knew that the girl was sweet-tempered and didn't deserve this kind of treatment.

Kurosugi held a tight expression, but did not say anything. Kise was not-so-subtly flipping the Minami students the bird, although she feigned innocence when the officials looked her way. Koharu, seated at their back along with the rest of the boys' team, shouted that there weren't cute guys in Minami anyway.

"Does that even matter?" Yukari heard Kenya groan.

Without meaning to, she tilted her head towards the source of the voice. Her lips parted. She was about to say something to her brother when she spotted Kintarou, beating the _taiko_ drums furiously.

Ugh, just looking at him gave her a headache.

"The rest of your team are here," Yukari muttered, touching her lips in contemplation and turning to Shiraishi. She thought it was only her brother who arrived early but it appears she was mistaken.

"Stop it, they're not _my_ team." Shiraishi gave a self-conscious laugh. "It sounds like… like I_ own_ them or something."

But Yukari wasn't listening. She scanned the Shitenhouji crowd; more than half appeared to be members of the boys' team. She counted the heads of the girls she knew were part of their tennis club.

11.

Including her and the 8 regulars playing out there, that makes 19.

Huh? What a low attendance rate. That didn't seem right.

"WOW!"

"That girl, did you see that?!"

"MONSTER ROOKIE!"

Yukari remembered the match that was still going on and broke out of her reverie. Aoba, with her impassioned performance, managed to silence the critics and gain the approval of the Shitenhouji cheerers. She was up by 2-0, but soon it was already her match point to grab a spectacular 6-1 win . Yukari momentarily had a brief flashback of her own match against the girl, making a bitter smile form on her face.

"She's really amazing, on a different level from me," Yukari sighed, rising to her feet along with the rest of the crowd when Aoba secured her victory. The blue-haired girl bowed, but dropped her racquet, making the crowd laugh. Her face was tomato-red as she stumbled out of the courts, giving yet another low bow to Kise, and then again to a satisfied-looking Kurosugi.

"That girl..." Shiraishi's gaze was fixed on Aoba. "She's an all-rounder, isn't she?"

All-rounder? Ah yes, a player with the ability to play well both offensively and defensively, opposite of specialists. There's a vagueness to this description, so Yukari imagined a player not unlike her brother.

Perfect, or at least close to it.

_'But Yukari,' Shiraishi uncharacteristically complained when she teased him for being called 'Mr. Perfect' in Shitenhouji once, "to be perfect is to be dull. Striving for perfection is nothing but a doomed yet noble ambition."_

And yet he still plays using his perfect Bible tennis.

— ()—() —() —

Murasaki was up next. The crowd went delirious when she went to serve. They chanted her name, raising the excitement of everyone attending the tournament to a fever high. The Minami students quieted down, spellbound as Murasaki danced across the courts, a dragonfly skirting the pond's surface. The Midoriyama twins gave the impression that they could walk on water, but Murasaki moved as if she could float across it.

"Soft knees," Yukari observed, remembering Kenya's words.

'_Murasaki Mayu– you know her right? Super pretty, gets a lot of lead roles here in Shiten. She even _figure skates_._ '

The way she jumped gave her away.

Not only that, during serves, Yukari noticed that Murasaki hyperextended her spine. Her footwork was also phenomenal, and it didn't hurt that she did twirls or tossed her hair back during the small breaks they were permitted, entertaining the crowd.

Watching Murasaki, you get the feeling that tennis is not just a sport, but also an art.

"I played with Murasaki-senpai," Yukari said once the match was done. "I didn't pay attention to her way of playing back then, just that I knew she was a skilled player who might've been a dancer but…" A chill ran through her spine. "Wow. Murasaki-senpai is so_ wow_ ."

Shiraishi laughed, agreeing with her sentiments.

— ()—() —() —

At this point, Shitenhouji proceeding to the next round was already certain. Kurosugi heading out to finish S1 was the unnecessary final nail in the coffin. As soon as she stepped into the courts though, the Minami crowd grew unruly again and booed her out.

"Go away you bitch!"

"No mass walkout this year?!"

"Aren't the Three Sages done for already?!"

The Shitenhouji team responded back, but didn't sound very enthusiastic at all. It shocked Yukari, since she personally felt that the insults were uncalled for. Even worse, she couldn't understand why the Shitenhouji side toned down on their cheering and didn't defend the team captain. If anything, her position meant that she was the face and representative of Shitenhouji. Logically speaking, the rest of the school should have her back.

_Right?_

Kurosugi, to her credit, appeared only mildly bored as she awaited for the start of the match. This calm facade may have been a mask, but what does Yukari know? She didn't know about the Shitenhouji girls' team at all prior to her joining, only knew that they had an illustrious record. But it didn't need a genius to figure out that they had issues, something that the boys' team seem to be free of.

The Three Sages, as well as this mass-walkout she just heard from the Minami supporters...

Now that she thought about it, weren't there only 3 third-years in the club?

Shiraishi stood up and motioned for the rest of his team to follow, snapping the girl out of her thoughts. Consulting her wrist watch, Yukari realized that it was almost registration time for her brother's team. She didn't manage to wave him good-bye, but then again, she sensed that he was upset enough to not take notice anyway. It was surprising to see him that way; even as his sister she rarely caught him in a bad mood.

Yukari shook her head, determined not to be swallowed up by these musings. Now wasn't the time to be worried for others. She had her own troubles, and she needed to take care of them first.

— ()—() —() —

A flawless victory, as expected.

No one was surprised when Shitenhouji clinched the first round. No one. For almost a decade, Shitenhouji had been the reigning champion in both of their district and prefectural tournaments. It was unfortunate, but the unlucky teams which faced them just didn't stand a chance.

After the announcement of their next match, Kurosugi dismissed the team, telling them to be back within two hours for the second round. The crowd had already cleared out when Kurosugi hastened to the public restroom, face scarily pallid as she threw up the contents of her stomach. She wiped her mouth with a facial tissue, feeling her throat burn and her eyes sting.

'_Winner takes all_ ,' she muttered, closing her eyes shut.

The lone wolf braves the winds of winter in solitude.

— ()—() —() —

"But Shiraishiiiiiii!"

"No means no, Kin-chan."

There was an air of finality in his voice, something that even the normally dense freshman recognized. Reluctantly, he lowered his head. Looking like a kicked puppy, Kintarou whimpered, "I just want to play today..."

Shiraishi could do nothing but sigh. Just when he thought he had this captain thing figured out, a freshman with nerves of steel and unparalleled talent to back it up blasted into their team and threw them into disarray.

Yuuji had been the most annoyed of them all. Their resident mimicker hated kids or anyone who acted like one. He took an immense dislike for Kintarou, but became more approachable thanks to Koharu's prodding. Soon, Shiraishi also learned how to temper the rookie's blaze. He had to use the threat of a nonexistent poison arm to do so, but hey, whatever works right?

(God help Zaizen if he becomes chosen as next year's captain. It wouldn't be farfetched to think that the reticent second year might quit tennis and join the bowling team instead just to avoid being driven up the wall by his teammate.)

But back to the situation at hand, the redhead was trying to convince him to change the lineup and put him somewhere in singles. It wouldn't work because they already submitted the forms. He explained it to a sulking Kintarou who made a whimpering noise.

"You'll have more chances," Shiraishi brightly said, steering him to where Osamu was seated. "Here, have a seat next to our coach. He'll keep you entertained."

"Hey hey Shiraishi!" Osamu gave him an exasperated look just as Kintarou settled beside him. "Don't think I didn't see what you did there."

Shiraishi pretended not to hear, walking over to where the rest of the regulars were. On the bleachers, Kise was waving a red banner spelling out his name. It embarrassed Shiraishi, but he was already used to these antics. He could see the other female supporters giving Kise dirty looks, but…

Ah, he's bad at dealing with these things directly.

"KUUCHAN!"

He recognized that voice. He craned his neck to spot his sister, but stiffened when he realized she was next to Kise the whole time, also flashing a 'Shiraishi Fanclub' banner. Yukari gave him a terrifying look, one that he knew meant '_I'll practice wrestling moves on you all night long if you don't acknowledge me_ .' And so, reluctantly, Shiraishi was forced to at least give them a wave.

Kise shrieked in delirium. She was jumping up and down, even causing a student from the other school to spill his drink.

Shiraishi quickly turned back to his team and formed a huddle. He did not want to know how such an unlikely friendship came to be.

— ()—() —() —

"There are empty outdoor courts over here," Yukari informed as she led Kise and Murasaki towards the local park.

Kise, dressed in a flamboyant and tight-fitting cheerleading uniform, sighed loudly. "Only 30 minutes! I want to make it in time for Shiraishi-sama's match." She wouldn't have agreed to this had Yukari not told her that she could get her brother to notice her in the crowd– a sweet promise she readily accepted.

"Let's be real, you might even make it for S3." Murasaki was at the tail of their line, wearing headphones too big for her head. "Anyway, you sure are gutsy, telling straight to Kurosugi-buchou's face that you won't be attending our afternoon match."

"It's okay, she loves me," Kise joked, waving a finger. "Behind that grouchy exterior lies a heart of gold. Besides, Yasutora's there for S3, and her new favorite is on S1."

"New favorite?" Yukari repeated.

"Aoba-chan," the blonde confirmed, pressing up her red-framed glasses to the bridge of her nose. "Kid's a natural, for sure even the scouts in Kanto would pick up on her story." Her voice became deeper, more dramatic. "Moved from Hokkaido to Osaka and never joined a team prior to ours. She'll be making waves, like that super rookie the boys have." She threw her racquet up in the air and caught it behind her back. "But since Mayuyu's S2, some might accuse us of stacking.

"Can't she switch the order then? Or at least play so Murasaki-senpai gets to sit on the coach's bench?"

Kise hummed something that didn't quite reach Yukari's ears. They were already at the courts then, and so she figured that she must've touched on a matter that her two upperclassmen would rather not discuss. With a shrug, she unzipped her tennis bag and turned to face the vice-captain.

"Rematch?" she challenged, going to the baseline of an empty court. "Same rules as before, right? Kise-senpai serves; I try to hit back a ball."

Murasaki nodded.

"Can there be another rule?"

"Oh?" Kise's blue eyes lit up– not that anyone could see them when they were hidden by her thick glasses. "A handicap for me?"

"10 minutes." Yukari held up a hand. "We'll make this one only 10 minutes. And no breaks permitted beyond 10 seconds for both sides." She inclined her head towards Murasaki. "Do you think that would be fair?"

Amethyst eyes met round brown ones.

Silence hung in the air, but Kise broke it when she gamely agreed to the terms, claiming that the addition of those rules made things more interesting. A feline expression then made its way on the blonde's face. Those curled lips and predatory eyes rang alarms inside Yukari's head, but she held her ground. Kise languidly walked over to her side and caught the ball tossed by Murasaki.

"Promise me this will be more fun than last time?"

"I'll try."

Kise arched her back and hit a powerful serve that dropped the ball right in front of Yukari. The brunette followed the ball's trajectory with her eyes, but otherwise did not budge from her position. Unfazed, Kise followed up with a textbook kick serve. A snap and off the ball went, exploding off the court with great speed and spin. Yukari sidestepped, but again did not swing her racquet.

"Hey, what's the big deal?!" Kise shouted, a hand on her hip. She was expecting more resistance, but the way Yukari was playing –or not playing– threw her off.

Murasaki's voice cut in, "Nadeshiko, that's 5 seconds. 6, 7, 8—"

"I get it."

Kise recollected herself. Was that Yukari's game? To tire her out? Seems like an underhanded tactic, doesn't it? Oh well. Better hold her end of the bargain. She liked Yukari, she really did…

_**POK!**_

But tennis needs to be fun. It's the only sport that needs people with a will stronger than the actual skill.

_**POK!**_

She'd seen it happen countless of times.

_**POK!**_

Experienced players who caved in to the pressure, making amateurish mistakes out of the blue. Unfortunately, even a senpai of hers had fallen to this trap.

_**POK!**_

The only way to break free from this is by enjoying the game, truly enjoying—

"Take this!" Yukari cried out, finally making her move. Kise's shot went into the deep court, the amount of spin it carried almost causing it to bounce backwards and out of bounds. But Yukari chose to go for this ball, lunging to make contact with her racquet.

She hit it back.

The ball did not go over the net.

"Heh~? Too bad, too bad." Kise adjusted her glasses. "What's more, time's almost—"

"I won."

From the sidelines, Murasaki was already clapping her hands. "Nicely played," she said, addressing Yukari.

"Um. Hold on. What?!" As soon as Kise expressed her disbelief, she froze, her mouth forming a wide 'O'. She probably realized for herself the loophole that Yukari took advantage of. Confusion soon gave way to amazement. She began to laugh hysterically, her hands pressing her stomach.

As long as Yukari hit the ball.

Didn't matter if it was ruled out-of-bounds or did not go over the net.

Again, as long as the challenger hit the ball.

"I can't believe it! You really got me this time!" Kise fist-bumped Yukari, already accepting her loss. "That won't work on a proper match, but damn! That's one way of thinking outside the box."

Yukari hid a smug smile. "Thanks, fukubuchou."

Murasaki regarded Yukari with renewed interest. Shiraishi's sister did not have the commanding aura of her brother, nor his excellent reflexes and ability to soak in everything like a sponge. However, in a situation that required her total focus, she could potentially recognize in a fraction of a second the significance of an event as well as what gives that event its proper expression.

It happened last time with Yasutora. During that match, Yasutora played like an all-rounder, but a beginner like Yukari recognized that her opponent's net play was lacking and attacked that weakness. Since Yukari lost, Murasaki dismissed the brunette's actions as a fluke, but—

No, even a while ago, her eyes were always on the ball. Physically, she may be weak, but she was watching, watching with the eyes of a hawk.

The 10 minutes was nothing but a ruse, a clever mind game to bait her opponent into going all-out from the start. Yukari was a smart girl; trying to tire out Kise would be fruitless in such a short period of time. Since she knew that, Yukari banked on Kise's consistency to observe her serves while keeping in mind the time limit.

Very smart.

Experience, confidence, as well as a fit body that could keep up with a highly-demanding game such as tennis. Those were the things Murasaki recognized Yukari sorely lacked. Aoba may be a prodigy, but Yukari could be a work-in-progress.

Not knowing that Murasaki was measuring her potential, Yukari approached the violet-haired girl and grabbed her hands. "Thank you! I promise I'll be a good student and do everything you'll tell me!"

"Aww, I want a follower too," Kise complained, kicking the ground.

"No need for that." Murasaki pried Yukari off of her. "As I said, I don't do anything for free. You've let me witness for myself your determination and that's already enough." She smiled, flashing her pearly white teeth. "Besides, regular or not regular, we're all teammates. We have to help each other out."

Yukari's eyes misted over. She didn't know why, and she wasn't usually a sensitive person, but just thinking about trying hard and finally being recognized sent her mind into overdrive. All of the dark feelings she kept inside, all of those negative thoughts that she won't be able to accomplish anything great like her siblings…

Even though she was fine with just being Yukari, she yearned for more.

(Why can't she? She also wanted to know how to fly with her own wings, wanted to know the color of the sky, wanted to feel the wind kissing her skin.)

Before she knew it, tears were already sliding down her cheeks.

Murasaki, although very much surprised and confused with this sudden turn of events, managed to produce a dainty handkerchief from her pocket. "Oh dear, whatever is this matter? There, there. It's alright."

At that point, Yukari was almost ready to keel over in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry!" _Hic._ "I don't know what came over me!' _Hic._ "Senpai, I'm really sorry!"

"Uh…" Kise pointed to her watch. "Not that I don't like this episode of Oprah, but clock is ticking."

Yukari blew her nose.

"Okay, okay! Take your time."

The brunette, eyes swollen and nose red, gave Murasaki a pitiful look. "Senpai, really… I'm really sorry! And I feel bad, you're really nice like Oshitari-senpai said, but it's like I'm taking advantage of—"

"Kenya-senpai?"

Yukari hiccuped yet again, but she stopped rambling.

Kise, who was ready to go but overheard everything, inserted herself into the conversation once more. "Ooh! Oshitari-senpai? Shiraishi-sama's best friend? Makes sense you're friends with him too!" She broke into a grin. "So? What about him?"

"He said Murasaki-senpai's nice and she might help me…"

Yukari bit her lip. Did she say too much? Could it be that Kenya didn't want anyone finding out that it was him who directed her to Murasaki? If so, then she screwed up again, didn't she?

But Murasaki's facial expression was one of nonchalance. She shrugged, and merely said, "Ah. You're his friend's sister so he's looking out for you. That guy, he really has the tendency to white knight."

She wouldn't know. Come to think of it, they didn't exactly get off to a good start.

"But Mayuyu~" Kise elbowed her friend, a knowing smile forming on her face. "Could it be that you miss Oshitari-senpai even when you have ZaiZai now? After all, you two dated for a couple of weeks last year."

…

...

...

_SERIOUSLY?!_

"That dull guy?!" Yukari burst out, half-hoping she heard wrong. "'With someone out of his league like Murasaki-senpai?!"

Murasaki's thin smile didn't answer anything.

* * *

**A/N:**

Long time no see!

First of all, I didn't lie. I've already written CH 7-8 a few weeks ago, but my sister accidentally deleted one of my folders in my USB. Needless to say, it was hard for me to find the motivation to do a rewrite while I recalled the details of particular scenes. Honestly, this one came out_ waaa_ y too different from the original. The main points that (slowly) move the plot are there, but I'm still not sure if I should have tried harder to replicate my original draft. I also made this chapter longer than planned, extending all the way to the first of Yukari's small victories.

Again, thank you to everyone who faved and reviewed this story. It means a lot!

Next chapter, a canon character will make his debut. /laughs/ Shockingly, no one has pointed out this character's appearance yet so... STAY TUNED!

_roe2_

* * *

_KUROSUGI FUU_ of Class 3-6 (Captain)  
_**Appearance:**_Has arctic grey eyes, a sloping forehead, pointed features, as well as a long face. Her hair is dark, wavy and falls below her shoulders. Has a lean, athletic body. Lately, her complexion has been pasty.  
_**Personality &amp; Quirks:**_Blunt, demanding, unyielding.  
_**Current Concern:**_Cookware bargains.

_KISE NADESHIKO of Class 2-2_ (Vice-Captain)  
_**Appearance:**_Average height, but a little overweight. Gets attention from the opposite sex for her ample bosom. Has unruly blonde hair that appears uncombed half the time. Her blue eyes are hidden by thick red-framed glasses. Hides the fact that her vision is 20-20.  
**_Personality &amp; Quirks:_**Outspoken, happy-go-lucky, has outlandish taste in personal belongings.  
**_Current Concern:_**Plot of her fanfiction.


	8. Rattle the Stars

**chapter EIGHT: Rattle the Stars**

* * *

A quick, cold shower should have jolted him awake, but as he stood at the front of the bathroom sink, blearily looking at his reflection in the mirror, he couldn't help but think that yeah, a little more sleep would be nice.

Osamu rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and came across stubble that threatened to become a beard. It still looked alright, but if he let it grow any longer, he might be in trouble with the school board.

The tennis coach opened the cupboard and retrieved an old-fashioned razor. He didn't like to use electric razors, found they almost burned his face even with the use of shaving gels. Osamu was just about to slide the razor down his chin when he heard the phone ring. Hair still wet, he groggily stepped out of the bathroom and answered the call.

"Osamu."

The voice on the other end of the line was a deep, pleasing baritone. It didn't take more than a second for Osamu to recognize the caller.

"Ah, Usui-san," he remarked, trying to sound bright and chipper. "Tell me this won't be a habitual wake-up call." His hair was dripping droplets of water onto the floor.

"Of course not, of course not. I'm a busy man," the man named Usui answered, the sound of an engine swallowing the last of his words.

"Want to confirm if the monthly rent for the apartment's already been taken care of?"

"No." The voice on the other line paused. "The other night, I made my usual call. When I asked, she told me she paid the landlord already."

"Sounds like her." A beat. "So? Something you're worried about? There can be no other reason when you're calling me at," he checked the digital clock on the kitchen counter, "quarter to 6 in the morning."

"I'm merely concerned." The paternal tone in Usui's voice was unmistakable. "She doesn't tell me anything and the only one I can trust who would honestly tell me what's going on is you, Osamu."

That certainly put him in a precarious, if not awkward, position. "In many ways, she's still the same, but… she's, shall we say, more _closed-off_ now?" He chewed his lip, carefully choosing his next words. " I hate to say it, but I'm not an influential voice in her life anymore. And honestly? If I nagged her about the way she's living her life, she'd probably hate me even more than she does now."

Usui didn't say anything.

"I'm looking out for her, don't worry," Osamu quickly said, knowing that he probably sounded irresponsible just a while ago. "It's just that, high school can be a troubling time and she's… she's _struggling_. Last year was really rough on her."

The man on the other line sighed wearily. "Should I take her back to Tokyo? Or bring her here to Florida?"

"You're the one who has to make that decision, but since you want my honest opinion, I think she won't forgive you for making her leave before she could settle unfinished business."

"...Is that so."

"Usui-san, you know I'll do everything in my power to protect my goddaughter." Early morning light filtered through partially closed blinds, making Osamu reflexively raise a hand to his face. "I can't promise anything, but I'll try to not let any harm come to her."

Usui was quiet for a while, but he expressed his gratitude before he hung up. Osamu exhaled, suddenly feeling 10 years older than his actual age. That girl, even though he trusted she would be able to sort out her problems by herself, he was also worried that she would make poor decisions that would hurt her in the long run. He marched back to the bathroom, completely awake. Placing his hands on the sides of the sink, he leaned forward and stared hard at his reflection.

"Oi, 'Samu." A lopsided smile. "You're not afraid of that wolf child, are you?"

— ()—() —() —

The thought of learning tennis with Murasaki-senpai made Yukari heady with excitement, prompting her to rise earlier than her usual. The second-year told her that Kurosugi would not permit them to practice in the afternoons, but morning conditioning meant they were free to do whatever they wanted as long as the captain could watch over them.

Laughing gayly, she hurried over the courts, but stopped mid-step when a thought occurred to her.

"The changing room's still closed!" Yukari said aloud, slapping her forehead. Her spirit dampened, she remained on her spot, considering her options. For one, she could change in the restroom. Immediately, the hairs at the nape of her neck prickled and stood on end._ That_ sounded like the kind of bad decision the protagonist of a horror movie would make.

Maybe she can just warm up in her uniform and wait until the one in charge of the keys walks in?

With that plan in mind, Yukari opened the gate and dropped her bag against the fence before tilting her head in alarm. There was a man sprawled across the girl's courts, eyes closed, face to the sky, completely relaxed... except for his hands, which were firing through the air. She stiffened, then relaxed when she sighted her school's uniform.

Well, at least that wasn't a ghost!

"Excuse me..." Yukari gave the stranger a mildly confused look. "This court is reserved." The man didn't move. He was tall and broad, making the large playing surface seem so much smaller than it actually was. "Excuse me," she repeated in a louder voice when he didn't so much as twitch in response, "this court is…" She trailed off as she approached.

Wait, she'd seen him before, right?

"Chi...to… Chitose-senpai?" Yukari ventured, unsure if she got the name right.

The stranger opened his eyes and blinked at her. In an instant, recognition lit up his features, making him reach out a hand towards Yukari. "Ah. You're Shiraishi's lil sis, eh? We've been introduced during your first week."

"Umm." Yukari stared at the hand being offered, wondering if he wanted her to help him get up. Tentatively she took it, but he firmly gripped and shook her smaller hand instead.

...That was weird.

"Senpai, may I ask what are you doing here?"

"Lying down."

That she can see.

"I mean, on the girls' courts," she clarified.

"I just happened to wander over here and found it a good place to do some thinking." Chitose yawned, a hand flying to his mouth. "You should try it too."

"I'll pass for now." Yukari smiled, jaw tight. She didn't know much about Chitose Senri, only knew him by his name and his memorable physical appearance. He was tall –probably about two meters in height– and had thick long black hair parted in the middle. His eyes, almost coal-black in color, disconcerted Yukari. They weren't unfriendly nor unkind, but something about the way he looked at people made the girl think that he could see something others normally wouldn't be able to.

Or maybe this was all in her head.

Probably sensing her discomfort, Chitose stood up and gave her a gentle smile. "Well, I think that's enough thinking for today." He closed his eyes and sniffed the air. "I'm off to the beach."

"B-Bwuh?"

He still had classes, right? Before she could ask, she found him already making his way towards the gates. Kurosugi then passed by, toting her tennis bag. Yukari watched as Chitose and her buchou gave each other polite, acknowledging nods before going off their own ways.

What a strange person.

"Shiraishi Yukari," called out Kurosugi as she approached, voice colder than the morning air. "You've never been one for early morning practices."

That was an unfair accusation. She was always on time, it just so happened that she arrived one hour early today. In any case, there was no use speaking back– she learned her lesson last time.

"Good morning, buchou," Yukari greeted instead.

Kurosugi regarded her with piercing grey eyes. Yukari kept a neutral expression, but there was already a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. Finally, after what felt like forever, Kurosugi tossed something in Yukari's direction. The brunette caught the set of keys and looked at it quizzically.

"Give it to me once you're done."

"O-Oh. Okay!" A bit dazed, Yukari jogged over to the changing room. Fitting the right key into the lock, she prayed that Murasaki would arrive soon so she won't have to deal with Kurosugi alone.

— ()—() —() —

Zaizen, not for the first time that morning, contemplated chugging ADHD pills down Kintarou's throat.

While the genius second-year was the type to read his opponents and force errors to take control of a match, the wild redhead would often go against what was expected and hit the ball at any cost– often in a manner that would have everyone watching going: What. The. Hell. The super rookie was rough around the edges, preferring to play haphazardly without any thought. But there were also times he was like an origami: folding at the waist to dig up a drop shot, starfishing for a high forehand return, cocking his leg behind his head in an arabesque (Murasaki demonstrated it to him once so he knew the term) before blasting backhands or delivering monstrous smashes.

Indeed, the fact that it was hard to win a game against someone like Kintarou might be the reason Osamu and Shiraishi kept pitting the freshman against him. That he had to deal with someone like Kintarou so he would be forced to show his true skill…

"6-3! Game, set, match. Won by Tooyama Kintarou-kun."

...Too bad. He didn't feel like playing seriously in this practice. A wise man keeps some of his talents in reserve.

(Not that Kintarou was also holding back; if anything, he looked more distracted than usual.)

"Ah, that was a close one." Zaizen sensed Koishikawa's presence beside him only after the older boy started patting his shoulder. "Kin-chan's just too much sometimes."

"But no matter how good he is, he'll just be dead weight if he can't even maintain the minimum grade for student athletes."

"O-Oi. Zaizen." Koishikawa quickly positioned himself in between Zaizen and Kintarou. Blocking the second-year, he gently told Kintarou, "It's okay. Don't worry about him, he's just concerned that's all!"

Leave it to Koishikawa to sugarcoat the truth. Supposing this situation is akin to Kintarou's shoelaces being untied, should Zaizen close his eyes and tell the boy to keep walking even if an accident was likely to happen? Of course not. In this case, it would be better for Kintarou to be reminded that he was still a student with academic obligations.

Two anxious pools of hazel turned to them, making Koishikawa take a step back. "I can't play tennis unless I pass math this trimester, right?" he asked, voice smaller than usual.

"Yes," Zaizen quickly answered, preventing Koishikawa from coming up with a pathetic lie to placate the freshman.

At this point, a miracle happened: Kintarou closed his mouth and didn't say anything for 10 seconds. The second-year looked up at the sky and wondered if it was all that it took to acquire some moment of pea—

"WAAAAAAHHHHHHH I DON'T WANNA BE KICKED OFF THE TEEEAAAMMM!"

So much for serenity.

— ()—() —() —

"Murasaki?"

The waiflike girl had her headphones on so a classmate had to tap her shoulder to get her attention. Murasaki let out a resigned sigh when she recognized her visitor.

"Nadeshi—"

"Mayuyu! Bad news, bad news, _bad news_!" The blonde went off, smashing their foreheads together as she violently shook her friend's shoulders. "Matsuura-senpai! Rikkai!" she cried out, unaware that she was causing a scene.

Murasaki swore she saw stars in her eyes. "Nadeshiko, I'm not a can of Ponta you can shake!"

"Well gain some weight!"

"My fast metabolism is no joke, you know!"

"Uwah! Stop making the rest of us feel bad about ourselves!"

"WHAT ARE WE EVEN DISCUSSING!"

They stopped and looked around. As it turned out, the rest of 2-7 have taken on the roles of casual onlookers. Abashed, Murasaki grabbed Kise and led her to the nearest restroom. They still had a few minutes left before the end of lunch break. After making sure that no one else was around, she asked, "What is it about Matsuura-senpai and Rikkai?"

"RIKKAI!" Kise shouted, almost as if the single word was enough explanation. Her raucous screech rebounded over the grimy walls of the restroom, along with the slap of two palms on the sink borders. She paused when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and after fixing a strand of hair that was out of place, repeated: "RIKKAI."

Murasaki, who was already used to the exaggerated actions of the blonde, formed a cross over her chest. "Are you implying she's joining their team?"

"Weeelllll…." Kise rocked up and down on the balls of her feet. "I'm not exactly sure, but a little birdy told me that she's in Rikkai. If she has recovered, she might be, you know, planning revenge on boss and Yuni-senpai. Wanting to get even with Shiten, y'know?"

"Matsuura-senpai isn't like that," Murasaki defended. The name sounded almost foreign to her tongue, even alien to her ears. The reign of the Three Sages already felt a lifetime ago. "Anyway, since her condition before was delicate, I don't think it would be easy for her to return back to being… to being _her._" This was followed by a helpless shrug.

Even if she had earlier claimed that Matsuura won't be blinded by the idea of getting back at them, it's not like she was close enough with the girl to confidently predict how she would react. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth– this kind of mentality was something Kurosugi might have, but not Matsuura.

The face of a girl with a sweet, sweet smile and even sweeter disposition floated back to her mind's eye. It burned through the back of her head, that haunting image of her hunched form, blank eyes fixed on something they couldn't see. There were tubes and lines and all sorts of medical equipment attached to her; Murasaki tried hard at the time to not think of the frogs they had to dissect for chemistry class.

It didn't make sense back then, that after her accident she couldn't even multiply without the use of her hands. Before, it usually took her brilliant mind a fraction of a second to mentally run complex calculations.

It was sick, the way things ended up for both her and Yuni-senpai.

"Does buchou know?"

"Aww shit, why do you have to mention her?" Kise furrowed her brows, eyes cast upwards in thought. "I don't think so. And mind you, I still think it's really sad she's captain this year just because there's no one else who wants to take the position. Even worse, she made _me_ vice-captain."

Murasaki watched as her friend took on an uncharacteristic self-loathing expression that didn't suit the goofy character she usually presented herself to be. The blonde didn't like authority, merely aspired to be like a kite which went wherever the wind blew. Kise accepting vice-captaincy (because Kurosugi acknowledged her skills? because Yuni had grown detached? because it was clear that the other candidate –Murasaki herself– was a sympathizer of Matsuura?) reinforced to Murasaki the idea that Kise was a lot more selfless than she let on.

Not surprising; Kise was everything people didn't think of her.

"Koharu-senpai probably knows, but I doubt he'll consider it important. The twins, they're bound to get a wind of this soon too," Kise went on, unaware that Murasaki's mind was already elsewhere. The twintail haired girl idly used her slender fingers to comb her hair. Without thinking, she began to sing.

'_Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,_

_Humpty Dumpty had a great fall._

_All the king's horses and all the king's men_

_Couldn't put Humpty together again.'_

"Whoa, what's with the song choice Mayuyu?" Kise asked, swinging the door open.

Murasaki stopped. That's right. Of all things to start singing, why that particular nursery rhyme? Collecting her thoughts, she explained, "Because Matsuura-senpai sang it when we last saw her. And… It's a creepy song, don't you agree?"

"Oh?'

"A great fall." She imagined the scene, tried to picture the panicked looks on the witnesses' faces when a pool of blood started forming. "Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. It sounds strange that people would make a song about it."

'_We were reaching for the stars. We were there, so there, we almost had it all. Why did we have to suffer such a mighty long fall? What happened? Why won't any of you tell us?_''

The glasses-wearing girl began to smile cryptically. "Geez, you never got it?" They were walking side by side. "That it was never mentioned that Humpty Dumpty was an egg?"

'_You'll never let us know, is that how it is?_'

Matsuura-senpai, for all her childlike antics, had a dark sense of humor Murasaki never learned to appreciate.

— ()—() —() —

As usual, Hana watched the rest of the world from the branch of the sturdiest, tallest tree she could find. Presently, she was stretched like a cat on the thickest branch extending from the first split of the tall trunk. Completely absorbed in her work, she only looked up from her notes when she heard the leaves rustle and a figure swoop in to settle beside her.

"Kana." She adjusted her position. "You know you can't surprise me with that."

Sheepishly smiling, Kana brushed away the strawberry blonde strands sticking to her neck. She lifted the professional-looking camera up and showed to her twin the high quality photos she took.

"Candid shots are truly the best," Kana sighed dreamily, clicking 'next' every two seconds or so. "Moments in rawest and truest forms, having to get the right lighting, timing, framing. Shooting people who don't know what hit them–"

"The last one makes it sound like you're a hitman."

"Oneesan!" Kana stuck her tongue out. Grumpily, she leaned in to read her sister's notes. "Are you done with your analysis already? Ooh, the boys' team. Shiraishi Kuranosuke, third year, captain. Strength of Mind and Power of Judgement: A+. Hmm? The rest are… all As." She studied the table. Strokes, Serves, Footwork— "Ah! Strategic Ability is only a B?"

"Because he's so faithful to the basics, he hardly has any variation in attacks," Hana said, turning the page. "By the way, did you finish the data on Chitose-senpai? He's the last one after Oshitari-senpai."

Kana frowned and fingered the dial on her camera. "It's practically an open secret now that he opened one of the doors of State of Self-Actualization. Aside from that, he's too much of an enigma; Chitose-senpai comes and goes whenever he pleases."

Troublesome.

"This morning," Hana's brows were furrowed as she penned something down, "we saw him talking with Shiraishi Yukari. For sure, Shiraishi-senpai introduced them, but as for what they talked about…"

"Eh, it wasn't anything serious," interjected Kana, tone confident. "Even from where we were hidden, I heard them. It was too awkward to continue listening anyway."

'_This girl's vestibular hyperacusis, even though she only received treatment last year… She can willingly and selectively control what she hears already!?_'

Ugly thoughts wrapped her head and slid down to choke her throat. Hana smiled wryly, trying to erase all traces of envy within every molecule of her being. No, she had long accepted it, hadn't she? That even if they were twins, there was a vast difference between their abilities. And while being a twin made her feel special, her sister…

She was doubly special.

"In any case," Hana looked down at her notes again, underlining key terms, "with the data player of the Three Sages gone, it's up to us to trade information and find whatever we can to help buchou out." There was a great weight in her voice, a weight heavier than gold. "Even if we have to make a deal with that Hyoutei demon."

— ()—() —() —

Kenya considered hitting Shouta when he relayed what happened and got an absolutely unsympathetic response.

"Come on. We all knew Mayu-san must've been out of her mind when she asked you out," Shouta teased, knowing it riled up his brother. As they passed by the cafeteria, he continued, "You know, like that movie Yuushi-nii had us watch last year? That guy who was hypnotized into recognizing only a person's inner beauty? Uh, Shallow Hal?"

Kenya refused to be baited.

"Wait. You have inner beauty, Oniisan?"

Well that did it.

"Feh, I'm pretty sure Yuushi was bluffing when he said he scored a 'hot' model." Kenya made a sound that was somewhere in between a derisive snort and an unhappy grunt. Once they reached the locker area, he located his keys and rambled on, "Legs that go all the way to heaven my foot. He thinks he's such a Casanova, but he's too invested with his ideal romance that he can't ask out a girl without looking like a pervert." A fist was raised in declaration of war. "We'll see the next time we visit him in Tokyo!"

"Sounds to me like you're just pressed," Shouta piped in again, enjoying his brother's indignation for all its worth. "And aren't you interested in Shiraishi?"

"O-Oi. I'm not gay!" Kenya cried out, horrified. He slammed his locker shut, catching the attention of some of the students who were passing by. In a smaller voice, he repeated, "I'm not gay."

"Not Shiraishi-san." The younger Oshitari's eyes were twinkling in mischief. "The younger one. My classmate?" He paused for dramatic effect. "Shiraishi Yukari-chan?"

The speed star was so taken aback that he swallowed his saliva and started to choke.

"No way…" Shouta took a step back, shaking his head. "Don't tell me…"

"How can I think about that?" Kenya replied as soon as he can, rubbing his neck. Why did Shouta have to say the darndest things? His hands were already itching to wring his brother's neck and tie it into a nice, pretty ribbon. "We don't even… We haven't even talked to each other much. Besides, she's Shiraishi's sister."

His best friend sure won't kill him, but he had the power to make him miserable in practice. No, the idea didn't suit well with Kenya.

"Boring."

Kenya was more than ready to pull out his brother's tongue.

The merry first-year hopped backwards, laughing. "Take it easy, Oniisan. Deep breath, deep breath. Count to ten."

And now Shouta was mocking him. What sort of small deity did he offend to deserve this brat of a younger brother?

"But really, it's not like you look good together anyway."

Koharu was a genius, maybe he could invent and patent a device that would let stupid thoughts be filtered before they can be brashly spoken aloud. Zaizen and his brother, both of them seemed to be in desperate need of such an invention.

Just his luck, the topic of their conversation emerged from the room next to the locker area. Yukari recognized the Oshitari brothers and sent them a friendly wave before turning on her heel and walking towards the direction of the library. A redhead rushed out from the same room and followed her, impressively carrying a stack of books with just one arm.

They were silenced for a moment.

"I think _they_ look good together," Shouta jokingly pointed out, earning him a light smack on the head.

— ()—() —() —

The first person Aoba saw as she entered the library were two of her classmates, probably working on a project. The girl waved at her and she shyly waved back. Pressing her books to her chest, she shuffled her feet towards the librarian's desk.

"Ah, Aoba-san," the old lady greeted in a jovial manner. "Already done with _Song of the Exile_?"

"Y-Yes." Seeing the expectant look on the librarian's face, she added, "It's a great book, a little bit political for me, but I liked it. Um, I a-also… I also liked the harrowing look at how oppressive systems can exist on all levels."

The librarian scanned Aoba's library card, nodding her head to signify that she was still listening.

"S-So I think… it should be read… by a lot of students."

In truth, she herself didn't understand what it was she wanted to say. _Song of the Exile_, to her dismay, was too advanced for her to properly understand. Aside from that, she was heavily conscious of her Hokkaido accent and would rather avoid painful conversations if possible. One classmate telling her she sounded like someone stuffed a furball down her throat was already enough.

Fortunately, the old lady appeared to be pleased with her answer.

"Oh sweetie, don't be afraid to borrow more books here if you like. Not everyone appreciates them anymore." A wistful sigh escaped her lips. "Young people nowadays are too distant and too attached to technology," she additionally lamented, sneaking a nasty look to the side. Her comment was most likely directed to the student to their left, the boy who used one hand to type without looking at his phone and then the other to operate the fax machine. Aoba had to admit, it looked irresponsible to use a mobile device while doing library duties.

Just then, two familiar figures entered, one singing loudly the hook verse of an immensely popular commercial jingle.

"EI! Hikaru-kyun! Have you seen Kin-chan around he– Oh wait! There he is! And with Yukarin-chan!"

"Keep your voice down!" The librarian reminded, getting up from her swivel chair. "And dear lord! No displays of public affection in the library!" She took on a scandalized expression, and shook her head vigorously as if it will rid herself of the two's presence.

Koharu and Yuuji giggled, gave matching flying kisses, then disappeared to the back of the room.

"Too unnatural!" The librarian snarled, shaking her head again.

The blue haired girl heard about people whose tastes in choosing partners were... different. To her, it was no big deal, but back in her small conservative town, things like that might have resulted in a public stoning or something similar.

(She wasn't kidding; a man who was caught stealing his neighbor's chicken had been subjected to 10 lashes on the public square.)

Although the nature of their relationship fascinated Aoba to some degree, the reason she was in the library was to borrow more books she could read during her spare time. Simply put, turning into a gossip-monger wasn't what she came here to do. After getting her card back, the tennis prodigy browsed the aisles, perusing the book spines in the hopes that a title would catch her eye. A few minutes later, she found something that looked to suit her taste, and pulled it out.

"How to read and write hangul," she read out loud. She flipped open to the first page. "Book donated by Akagawa Yuni."

* * *

**A/N:**

I asked a friend of mine who watched The Prince of Tennis a few years back to read this fic and give me some feedback. To my disappointment, she asked me what on earth a 'Shitenhouji' is supposed to be. I was dumbfounded, but then I realized that the team was introduced quite late in the series so it makes sense that not a lot of people would know who they are. Thinking about it makes me sad.

Anyway, thanks for faving and leaving comments again, everyone! Next chapter we'll have a few KenyaYukari moments finally~!

_roe2_

* * *

MIDORIYAMA HANA of Class 2-3

_**Appearance:** _Small build, quite petite. With long strawberry blonde hair neatly tied in a braided pigtail, the tips dyed lime green. Eyes are round and a shade of viridian green. Pixie-like facial features. Has a high-pitched voice, and is taller than her younger twin sister by an inch.  
_**Personality &amp; Quirks:**_ Reserved, insecure, does not permit her twin to talk with other people unless she talks to them too.  
_**Current Concern:**_ Saving up for an authentic Kiev 4M camera.

MIDORIYAMA KANA of Class 2-3

_**Appearance:**_ Small build, quite petite. With long strawberry blonde hair messily tied in a braided pigtail, the tips dyed lime green. Eyes are round and a shade of viridian green. Pixie-like facial features. Has a high-pitched voice, and is shorter than her older twin sister by an inch.  
_**Personality &amp; Quirks:**_ Lively, confident, trusts her older sister 100%.  
_**Current Concern:**_ Saving up for a Nikkor AF-S 85mm 1.8G lens.


	9. Be The Light

**chapter NINE: Be the Light**

* * *

Their first place finish in the Districts granted the boys and girls tennis teams of Shitenhouji byes for the first and second round of Osaka Prefecturals. Even so, the teams were required to attend the first day of the tournament to submit registration forms for the semi-finals and finals the following day. Most of the club members tagged along, participating as spectators for the other schools' matches.

A certain blue haired girl remained in school though, choosing to spend her time in the library. Her English was abysmal, and if she wanted to avoid summer remedial classes, she needed to work harder and catch up.

"Should I tell her about her form?" Aoba mumbled to herself as she observed Yukari from a safe distance.

"The rhythm is totally off!" She heard Yukari cry out in frustration. "One more!"

Aoba twiddled her thumbs. Yukari seemed smart, she might figure it out soon. Keeping her eyes on the ground, she walked slowly, telling herself that her classmate didn't need someone like her to give any advice.

— ()—() —() —

Yukari's mind was nothing but tennis. She was at the back of the courts, hitting a ball against the wall over and over and over… only stopping to wipe the dripping sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. Her arms felt heavy and she could almost no longer hear the sound of the ball hitting the wall or her racquet strings. Yet she kept moving, kept swinging. She was overcoming a wall –her own wall of endurance and determination– and she wanted to know just how far she could go.

The ball then bounced past her and rolled to the side, stopping as it met polished shoes. Yukari looked up to find the familiar face of a fellow freshman.

"You look terrible," were the first words the girl muttered. She was a girl who joined the tennis club around the same time Yukari did.

"Ah…" Yukari reddened, hurrying to grab her towel. She wiped her sweat off her face and turned to the girl. "Hey, stayed behind too?"

The girl rubbed her elbow sheepishly. "Well, they said attendance was obligatory so I decided this would be my rest day."

"I see." Yukari nodded, retying her hair. "Excuse me, but can you throw the ball to me? I need to get started again before I forget this feeling."

"Sure."

And so Yukari was back to hitting the ball, but the girl was still there, her presence almost tangible. Knowing that she was watching, Yukari couldn't concentrate. After returning the ball for the thirty-sixth time, she turned back to the girl.

Haltingly, Yukari informed, "Hey, uh… I don't know how to say this, but you're kinda distracting me. So..."

The girl immediately apologized. She picked up her bag from the ground, looking as if she was about to go, but then she called to Yukari again.

"About the first few weeks of school, sorry for leeching off you."

Confused, Yukari tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Onoda-sensei, you know, he was making a big deal out of your brother and I figured," she bit her lip, then shrugged, "it would be beneficial if I associated myself with you."

A moment passed.

"It's not just me who had the same thought, right? Not that I'm justifying what I did, but…" She shook her head, let Yukari fill in the blanks for her. "I think I owe you an apology, Yukari-chan. You don't need to be recognized as someone's younger sister; you're already cool in my book."

A breeze, stirring their hair, carried the sounds of people's shouts and laughter from the baseball field on the other side. Not knowing how to react, Yukari ended up giving a shy but sunny smile. The girl matched Yukari's smile, said goodbye, and soon left.

Looking at the tennis ball resting on the palm of her hand, Yukari wondered when it had become feather light.

— ()—() —() —

Weekend came, which meant practices with Murasaki.

The former figure skater stood in the center of the private indoor court, balancing on the balls of her feet for one moment. One deep breath, then two, and she was off, a few crossover steps to her left and back, then to her right and back. Yukari watched as Murasaki's legs started covering more ground, pivoting at the corners of the service lines, sprinting to the net in diagonals and then back again.

"See, amazing footwork right?" Kise said from beside her as Murasaki literally ran circles around them.

The violet haired girl drew to a halt back where she started. "Got it?"

Yukari nodded slowly. "I'll give it a try."

— ()—() —() —

Kurosugi's head was curled against the window, a notebook lying open on her lap. Her hard eyes were firmly fixed on the calendar pinned on the wall.

Two more weeks until Regionals.

Hyougo's Makinofuji and Kyoto's Maikozaka. If Shitenhouji isn't careful, they might get cleaned out by any of these two schools.

Weak. They're still weak.

No, no. _She_ was the one who was weak.

Without Matsuura and Yuni, she was weak, so weak and vulnerable. The three of them, they would've been unstoppable. Together they would've ruled the world.

And_ yet_.

And yet, the tides rose and devoured all their dreams. Only a tiny speck of hope remained in her heart, embedded in a watery embrace of regret. Every day she thought of swimming back to the past, back to when the tides were calm and the skies were filled with the promise of endless summers.

But wishing won't bring anything back, would it? It was a terrible realization, and she knew this, knew this with all her heart and soul that she armored her heart and sealed the old her who was weak, weak, weak.

Anything to win.

Two more weeks, and then Nationals.

— ()—() —() —

"Am I gonna die?" Yukari asked in between pants. The drill she'd been doing for the past two hours made her want to chop her own legs off and wave them in protest. She gasped for oxygen, could only watch as Murasaki rise from where she sat with an innate grace and elegance she can never hope to possess.

"Hmm." Her eyes were cast sideways, as if looking for something that wasn't there. "Strokes, footwork, and everything else are all slightly below average." Yukari groaned. "Tell me, when did you start tennis again?"

Yukari rolled over and placed an arm to cover her eyes. "Start? Let's see… " The lights were blinding her "My brother taught me when I was in elementary school. We would play on the street courts, but not anything serious. The rest, I picked up from tennis self-help books and from watching others."

'_So she wasn't lying when she said she was a beginner. Still, her basic form is very good_.'

Murasaki tossed her underclassman a bottle of water and a piece of protein bar. The brunette almost emptied the bottle before she tore open her snack. As she chewed, she asked, "So? How do you think I can improve?"

"It's not something that can be done overnight. Even players who've been doing tennis since they were young hardly find improvement in a year."

Yukari's jaw fell open. "S-So… Y-You mean… What we're doing is useless?"

Maybe that wasn't the most encouraging thing to say.

"I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm saying that you have to have the right mindset to note significant changes in your tennis," she mollified. "Were you a child, you could still have fun and slowly work your way up to more challenging tasks. In reality, for you to keep up, the kind of practice is minimal at best. That's why I tested you. If you've given up halfway while I am helping you, we would have only disappointed each other."

Murasaki leveled a pointed look at the freshman. "By the way, what do you think an ideal tennis player should be?" When the girl opened her mouth, the twintail haired girl added, "No textbook answer, please."

Yukari clamped her mouth shut and wore a pensive look. At that moment, Murasaki would've laughed. Does this girl know she's completely making it obvious that she's the honor student type?

"To start off, someone like a sprinter, with enough explosive power when it comes to running in short bursts." At this point, Yukari was already biting her fingertip in deep thought. "He needs the endurance of a marathon runner, as well as the quick judgement to perceive balls that can go up to 200 km/hr like a pro baseball batter. There's also excellent ball control to consider. If you combine all that, then add mental toughness and an unparalleled drive to succeed—"

"In short, you're talking about your brother?"

Yukari stopped on her tracks. The certain train of thought didn't occur to her until Murasaki pointed it out. Now that she had the time to reflect, wasn't her brother pretty much perfect as a tennis player?

Murasaki tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Surely, you're wondering where I'm getting at. But think about it: If your brother is the ideal tennis player and plays the most efficient kind of tennis, then why isn't he the number one in the nation?"

That…

How to answer that question?

"The truth is, there are players who are so strong they go beyond the limits of tennis. For these players, perfection is not enough."

Hearing all of that sent chills down Yukari's spine. What kind of world did she enter if her brother couldn't even stand at the top?

"At National level, you'll find people who can utilize a number of counters in creative ways, preventing opponents from getting a point. There are skilled players who can create 'zones' which force any returns to get sucked in no matter what type of shot. You'll find monster players, players who can find out all of your weaknesses in just one game through a highly-developed insight. And although rare, there are also those who can strip you of your five senses until you can't even be sure of your own name."

"Even if your style is the most ideal, it would be hard to win against someone who plays their own version of perfect tennis, the kind that matches and makes use 100% of their strengths." Murasaki held Yukari's eyes with her own, making sure the point had come across. "That is why it's important to know what kind of player you want to be."

Absorbing the weight in Murasaki's words, Yukari slowly got into a seating position. There was a brief, irrational moment in which she blamed her brother for getting into tennis, for chasing a sport that demanded so heavily of oneself.

Sacrifice an arm, collect a trophy. Sacrifice a leg, collect a title.

Was that how it was going to be for her too?

Thinking about the rough road that lay ahead made her throat feel dry. As Yukari's reached for her water bottle, a hand entangled itself in her hair, pulling her head back. Yukari got an upside-down view of her vice-captain's face above hers.

"Imouto-chan," she sing-sang. "What's with that grave look? Mayuyu bullied you while I was gone?"

"Nadeshiko, please," Murasaki couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. "We're in the middle of something important here."

"Hmm." She pulled something out from inside her plastic bag. "Come on, give her a break. Here, an ice pop for imouto-chan!" The blonde wagged her eyebrows at her friend. "And none for Mayuyu, bye."

Was it just Yukari or did she see Murasaki's perfectly-arched eyebrow twitch in response?

"Just kidding," Kise soothingly declared, handing an ice pop stick to the pouting Murasaki. "You should know by now that my goal in life is to fatten you up. And don't you like these? Come on, hurry up before it melts!"

Suddenly, Yukari yelped. Ignoring the soreness in her limbs, she sprang up and sprinted to get her bag.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" asked Kise, with Murasaki staying quiet to let the younger girl explain herself.

"I gotta go, I'm really sorry, I'll make up for this!" Yukari yelled over her shoulder, dashing towards the door. "Thanks again Murasaki-senpai!"

— ()—() —() —

"I just remembered. Yukari said she'll buy the ingredients for tonight's dinner."

"Huh?

"She'll probably go to the nearest supermarket then…"

"Oi, stop mumbling to yourself Shiraishi!"

"Sorry Kenya, we'll have to stop playing so I can check up on Yukari!"

"You need to _what_?"

— ()—() —() —

Yukari picked up the basket near the door, one hand reaching for the list inside her front pocket. She didn't need it, got everything memorized, but it wouldn't hurt to be too careful. She glanced down at the paper. It was a simple enough list, containing only the ingredients for tonight's dinner, with the addition of milk, coffee, and creamer. The brunette pocketed her grocery list and walked down the aisle, tossing the items she needed in her basket.

A few minutes later, Yukari turned to enter the frozen food section. Her eyes lit up. Dropping her basket, she ran to the end of the aisle at a breakneck speed, feet pattering in an uncontrolled staccato. She whipped open a door and greedily grabbed the last gallon drum of peppermint ice cream.

"Häagen-Dazs!"

Call it petty, but the only reason she volunteered to do the grocery shopping was so she could buy ice cream as well. If it were her brother, he would probably turn his nose up in the air and declare the frozen dessert 'unhealthy'.

Stupid health otaku.

"Hehe, my precious," Yukari giggled, walking back. She stopped when she sighted Kenya standing next to her basket.

"Senpai?" Nope, she wasn't seeing things. "What the heck are you doing here?"

Dressed in an outfit that totally disregarded the use of the color wheel and offended all of Yukari's aesthetic senses, Kenya raised a hand up as if to say 'yo'. At Yukari's approach, he pointed a finger towards her basket.

Yukari blinked. "Something wrong?"

"You should've gotten a cart," Kenya said. "This one looks heavy. Add that gallon of ice cream, and I doubt you can carry it even with two arms."

"Nonsense." Her tone was breezy, but actually, she'd been thinking of the same thing just a while ago. "I can carry them just fine."

"With these skinny arms?" Kenya teased, poking her.

"Don't underestimate girls!"

Kenya would have none of the girl's stubbornness. He snatched the ice cream from Yukari's hands and dumped them into his cart. Ignoring Yukari's protests, he also picked up some of the fruits and vegetables from her basket. Wearing a wicked grin, he pushed the cart, leaving Yukari open mouthed.

What. Just. Happened.

"Senpai…" Yukari shook her head as they headed towards the next aisle. She was carrying a relatively lighter basket than a few minutes ago. "You know, if you did that to any other person, you would've been considered rude."

He raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Didn't you already label me as 'rude' in your mind?"

"Come on senpai, I thought we already let bygones be bygones?" Yukari countered, tugging his sleeves.

Kenya grinned, and Yukari wondered why she had never bothered finding out that his eyes were aquamarine in color. Certainly, she'd seen them before but… Hmm, they're really pretty eyes, aren't they?

'_Murasaki-senpai must've liked these eyes?_' she wondered, cheeks turning pink.

"Anyway, do you have money issues or what?" Kenya picked up a bag of potato chips from a shelf and threw it into the cart. "Shiraishi kept on saying how worried he was you'll overspend."

The speed star's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"M-My brother's here?"

"Of course he is. Problem?"

Yukari's face darkened. No. It can't be! Evil, evil, evil Kuuchan! He'll ruin her plan!

Yukari searched for the pepper mint ice cream inside the cart and quickly made a grab for it, her brown eyes furtively searching for a familiar mop of ash blond hair. Kenya looked at her as if she was a madwoman, but she might as well be if her precious ice cream was going to be involved!

"Senpai, the fate of the world lies on your hands." Yukari sounded so dead serious that Kenya couldn't find it in his heart to make fun of her. "Ally with me and you'll be rewarded generously."

Kenya didn't even need to think about it, finding Yukari's predicament pretty amusing. "Sure," he answered, lips curling upwards, "why the hell not?"

— ()—() —() —

As it turned out, it was easy for Kenya and Yukari to separately pay for Yukari's pepper mint ice cream. The brunette initially planned to distract her brother, but he was already in the middle of a conversation with an auburn haired girl she had trouble recognizing. As they stood near the exit of the supermarket, Yukari savagely bit on the chocolate ice pop they bought at the counter.

"Huh." Her eyes were dangerously narrowed. "And who's that girl, a friend?"

"Oh." Kenya was licking his own frozen treat, his 'reward' for helping Yukari. "Dat Yumwi-chwam."

"Who?"

"I said," Kenya repeated after swallowing, "that's Yuni-chan. We met her by the entrance entirely by accident . She was looking for some EXO CD or something? What do I know about Korean stuff..."

Yuni? As in…

"Im Yuni?"

"No, she's Aka—" Kenya didn't finish, suddenly looking thoughtful. "_Oh._ Oh yeah. Im Yuni."

"Ah! She's part of the tennis club!" Yukari exclaimed, almost dropping her ice pop. "She has never shown up for practice, and yet she's still in the official members list. I've always wondered who Im Yuni was but," her tone dropped low, "it turns out I don't have to wonder anymore."

There were flames practically engulfing the younger Shiraishi. "O-Oi. Yukari-chan. You'll drill a hole through your brother with that glare."

"Kenya-senpai, don't be absurd!" Yukari smiled sweetly, voice deceivingly angelic. "It's not like I'm disappointed he forgot about his sister and started flirting with a girl. And I'm certainly not disappointed that I'm with senpai instead."

"Who's the disappointment?!"

Yukari sucked the last bit of her ice pop, eyes never leaving her brother. "But really, it's strange. Im-senpai should've been crossed out of the list since she's not active, and yet…"

"You don't know she's part of the Three Sages?" Kenya asked, giving Yukari an incredulous look. Their eyes met and he immediately turned away, somehow getting embarrassed. "I mean, you've been part of the club for about three months now."

"Still."

Yukari couldn't explain it, not to someone like Kenya. She didn't know why she thought that way, but he didn't seem like the type who'll end up isolated no matter the situation. Even if she wanted to think bad about him, there was something he had, some likability that forced people to think of him as a friend or at the very least, a comrade. Her brother too was like that, although arguably far more charismatic.

Kenya, her brother, Kintarou, Murasaki, Kise… they burned, burned the same way the sun did: effortless, unabashed, far too bright. One could not stare long without becoming blind. Even if you look away, the afterimage remained.

As for her? She was plain, that much was clear. A flicker in the periphery, a candle fire. There was no competition.

Yukari looked at her shoes, finding them all of a sudden fascinating. "Oh yeah, I haven't thanked you for last time."

"Huh?"

"When you asked me to go to Murasaki-senpai for help," she reminded. "Thanks. I'm grateful for that."

"Pft." Kenya rubbed the tip of his nose. "That's nothing. You were the one who asked her yourself anyway."

The brunette was looking at the waxed floor, but her mind was elsewhere again. She wanted to ask what happened between Kenya and Murasaki and why they ended, but the sensible part of her told her it wasn't in her place to know.

"Hey." Yukari gazed up to find Kenya staring at his ice pop stick. "It says here I won."

"Really?" Yukari clapped her hands. "Isn't that awesome?"

Kenya didn't look happy at all.

"The last time I won, a lot of bad things happened after," he shared wanly, throwing away the 'winning' stick to the nearby trash bin. It was almost imperceptible, but Yukari thought there was something vulnerable about the set of the boy's mouth.

Silence stretched between them. A little flustered with the awkward atmosphere, Yukari just stared at her own stick.

'_Too bad, try again,_' it said.

— ()—() —() —

"So what did you and that girl talk about, Kuuchan?"

"Lots of stuff, I suppose. About Jung Eunji's acting in Reply 1997, the potential nominees for this year's Daesang awards..."

"...That's it?"

"Yeah. But hey, what about you and Kenya? Not dating behind my back?"

"You know, that joke was a little bit funnier the first time around. 2 out of 10."

"Ouch. You're one tough critic."

— ()—() —() —

The truth was, well, Shiraishi wasn't telling the entire truth.

Yuni doesn't give anyone a chance to come close to her, not anymore. Yet Shiraishi, hopeful and without anything to lose, spent almost half an hour trying to convince her to show up for practice.

In hindsight, trying to convince Yuni in front of a Korean boy group stand might have not been the brightest of his ideas. Not only did he end up paying for her purchase, but by the time their conversation was over, she was already predicting his bright future as a wildly successful car salesman.

(When he can't even coax her into picking up her racquet?)

Shiraishi should have known that it wouldn't be simple. Simple things could be neatly organized and structured. Plans were simple things; preparation was simple; studying was simple, the basics were simple –simple and beautiful and logical and orderly and tidy.

But when Yuni pierced him with a smile so scorchingly cold, he was again reminded that her circumstances were neither simple nor beautiful.

「내년에 대장이됬으면 우리도성공할꺼야! 힘내라 알았지?」

In the end, her words are just that: words. She was done with tennis. She wanted to be done with tennis. After what happened, it was only a natural outcome. Still.

_Still._

Shiraishi wanted to right a wrong. And Yuni, he was sure, wouldn't want to see Kurosugi and everyone else go down in flames come Nationals.

He'll try again next time.

— ()—() —() —

Zaizen was surprised to find Kintarou alone in the library. Certainly, he'd seen him hanging around before, but he'd been with his captain's younger sister for their math project during those times. For Zaizen, catching Kintarou solving mathematical equations and using calculators without any assistance meant the end of the world.

Probably.

"Hey." Zaizen stopped by the redhead's desk. "You doing good?"

Kintarou looked at him and flashed an almost comical grin. "Zaizen! Good timing! I need someone to check my answer."

The second-year hesitated, but eventually gave in. He grabbed himself a seat. A few minutes later, he was staring at Kintarou as if he had grown two heads.

"You got the answer," he commented quietly. Had he entered the Twilight Zone? For goodness' sake, he even once wondered if Kintarou could count up to twenty!

Kintarou grinned again, pumping his fist in the air. "Yeah! Once I pass tomorrow's test, I can play tennis again next week!"

"Ah tennis, the great motivator," Zaizen sighed. "I should have known."

"Huh?" Kintarou was back to solving problems. "But I'm working hard because I don't want to lose to Yukari-chan. See, she wants to be good at tennis!"

Zaizen didn't get the connection right away, but he did notice that Kintarou's eyes were flaring up. He had seen this look before, back when Kintarou first challenged Shiraishi to a match.

Perhaps Yukari was a more interesting person than he thought.

— ()—() —() —

'_One more lap._'

Breathe, just breathe.

'_One more lap._'

She was moving before she even commanded her legs to run faster.

'_One more lap._'

Her head was pounding and her heart was against her ribcage.

'_One more lap._'

She could hear the other girls behind her, but she couldn't find it in her to stop, can't find it in her to look back—turn back and stay and wait.

_'Lacking in everything… must train harder… What kind of player I want to be …'_

Yukari could feel her sweat stinging her eyes, but she didn't want to stop.

_'A _strong_ player, right?'_

She'll do it, make everyone look back in awe. Make everyone think: this girl isn't a quitter.

_'One more lap,'_ she told herself as she passed Honda Ayumi.

— ()—() —() —

Yukari was the only non-regular who completed 100 laps for that afternoon's practice. Hana observed the younger Shiraishi coolly, wondering what was motivating this girl who had no talent in tennis to come to practice every day and push herself to the limit.

Her younger twin, Kana, rested her strawberry blonde head on her sister's shoulder. "Lately, Yukari-chan's been on fire."

Hana slowly nodded. "I suspect Kise and Murasaki are behind the scenes, helping her."

"But why?" Kana asked, frowning. "Favoritism?"

Hana shrugged, not exactly concerned. She didn't expect much from Yukari, but for the girl's own sake, she better have enough matches for that newly-found fiery determination. Otherwise, the wind would just blow her light out.

— ()—() —() —

"So I heard you play tennis?"

The sudden question had her eyes flying to the rear-view mirror, granting her partial view of the man who posed such a bland, yet invasive question. She stuffed the Rubiks Cube inside her bag and shrugged.

"I used to. I don't have time for it now though, not when I need to focus on my studies this year."

A deep, guttural chuckle came out from the driver of the car.

"As expected from Master's daughter. Once you pass your TOPIK, you can probably fly to Seoul as early as spring next year."

From the auburn-haired girl's initial reaction, one might wonder if a razor got itself stuck in her throat. But she recovered nicely, smoothing her expression as she faced to her left and rolled the window down.

"Seoul, huh?" There was a cold smile on her face, one that had frozen up the sinews of her chest, impaling the frost deep into her ribs. "I guess we'll never know until April."

As she stuck out an arm to feel the pressure of the wind on her palm, she swore she heard the breeze cruelly whisper:

'_Coward, coward._'

* * *

**A/N:**

A few things I would like to get out of the way first:

내년에 대장이됬으면 우리도성공할꺼야! 힘내라 알았지? - Loose translation is: 'Next year, when I'm captain, we'll be champions too! Keep up with us, okay?' Not a native, so I'll welcome corrections.

Also, from 40.5 and the dating sim games, Shiraishi revealed he was fond of Korean movies. My headcanon is that he likes Korean entertainment in general. Since Osaka has the highest number of Korean immigrants in Japan, I think my headcanon's not_ that_ unlikely.

And I just realized that I reached 3K views. Thanks everyone! But please, please leave a review if you can. Usually I don't care much for reviews, but when your fic gets viewed over a thousand times and there's not much feedback, you begin to wonder if your writing sucks. If you don't feel like leaving a review for whatever reason you may have, it's quite alright to PM too.

To the guest who reviewed last chapter, I can see why you'd want me to pair up Yukari with Kin-chan, but I've already decided on Kenya/Yukari. Don't worry, there will be more Kin-chan in the story though!

Lastly, a very belated congratulations to the San Francisco Giants. YES YES YES!

_roe2_

* * *

AOBA SACHI of Class 1-4

**Appearance:** Stocky build. Alabaster complexion. Eyes are grey. Has light blue hair styled into a layered short bob. Usually gets called cute by her classmates, probably because of her 'chubby' cheeks.  
_**Personality &amp; Quirks:**_ Reserved, socially awkward, stutters a lot.  
_**Current Concern:** _Passing English class.

* * *

IM YUNI of Class 3-5  


_**Appearance:**_ Quite tall, around 170 cm. Has almond shaped hazel eyes, thick lashes, and hip-length auburn hair. Proud of her tiny waistline. However, her shoe size is 9½, making her embarrassed of her large feet.  
_**Personality &amp; Quirks:**_ Nonchalant, breezy, can be disarmingly charming.  
_**Current Concern:**_ ? ? ?


	10. A Green Monster

**chapter TEN: A Green Monster**

* * *

_Don't do what you want; do what you don't want. _

_Do the things that scare you. _

_Give up the idea of control. _

_Explode on your comfort zone. _

_Find out what you're afraid of most and go live there. _

_Now _smile_– if you still can. _

— _**Chuck Palahniuk**_

* * *

Her old, reliable wristwatch told her that it was already three in the afternoon and, much to her consternation, the draw for the Regionals has yet to start. Ishikawa Airi gritted her teeth and muttered something about 'irresponsible, lazy asses who would not do their jobs'. She had to hold in her breath every now and then, because she knew that if she did not exercise control, she would let out a sigh. Or a scream.

Probably the latter.

"Check them out," her companion noted in a low drawl, nodding to their right. A boy and a girl sat next to each other, both wearing the ostentatious green and yellow jerseys of Shitenhouji. "Last year's champs, Kansai's reigning kings and queens."

"Stop paying attention to them, Sakuratarou," Airi hissed.

"Why?" The boy smiled in a predatory manner, clearly getting a kick out of seeing the sour expression forming on his schoolmate's face. "The memory of their girls' team steamrolling yours last year still fresh, hmm?"

Airi's mouth fell open at his audacity. She had a few choice words for him, but stopped when she sighted two figures sporting white and marroon jerseys standing just a couple of feet away from them. If she wasn't mistaken (and not to brag, but she usually wasn't), they were from _that_ school, the one currently garnering attention for its underdog appeal.

"Look what we have here. Kyoto's Maikozaka, yeah? Nice to meetcha," greeted the boy with sleek, pale turquoise strands held back in a low ponytail. Outstretching a hand for a shake, Sakuratarou complied with a firm grasp."Do you remember me? Ijichi Enma from Soubu." When the two nodded, he smirked and pointed to his companion with a jerk of his thumb. "This bimbo over here is Hikigaya Karin-chan."

"Shut it, shark face," Karin growled and socked his mouth with a clenched fist. Ignoring the shocked looks of the Maikozaka students, the short girl with the horribly dyed magenta hair explained in a sickeningly cheery tone, "Excuse me and my honey. Our forms of endearment and ways of showing our love for each other could be... quite _unusual _for other people."

'_That's an understatement,_ ' Airi thought. Another beat, and she was reminded again that they were running late on schedule, which of course aggravated her further. Apparently, the other three were more relaxed than she was and did not treat this as the affront she considered it to definitely be.

The sad state of the world these days.

"So what do you think of this whole event so far?" asked Enma.

"A total borefest," Sakuratarou was quick to answer.

"You mean a total waste of time. They can't even start on the time they said they would," ranted Airi crankily, grinding her teeth. "15 teams because of the unneeded addition of a wild card. Disaster, a total disaster. Drawing lots is a disaster when this could have been swiftly decided by ranking. And then there's the top seed getting a magical bye—"

"Yo, you mean Shitty Houji? They'll be getting the bye again for sure." Enma gestured to his right. "Just seeing them and the super elite Makinofuji makes me want to puke."

"See?" Sakuratarou cut in, turning to Airi as he scratched at his ear with his pinky. "Everyone's gunning for them."

An eerie smile spread across Karin's face. She spoke once more, in a tone that was bright but at the same time grating, "Of course. The bigger they are, the harder they fall– that's how the saying goes right? Besides," she tossed her hair, "isn't the girls' team a piece of shit now that they don't have Akagawa and Matsuura?" She raised her voice, letting it carry across the lecture hall. "Kurosugi didn't even fucking care about their last match. She let her whole team down. And frankly, I don't give a damn about her but how she can proudly carry the title of captain when she was the reason why they lost so badly during the last Nationals?" By now, a few heads have turned. "Seriously, how does this girl live with herself?"

As soon as she said all of this, the wolf girl whipped her head back, throwing them a glare that could have frozen the deepest level of hell itself. Enma let out a whistle, while Sakuratarou and Airi shared a look.

Mie Prefecture's Soubu sure didn't come here to make friends.

"Oopsie." Karin shook her head in mock embarrassment as she slapped the back of her hand. "I didn't mean to say it out loud... And in front of all these people too!"

Indeed, her public denouncement of Shitenhouji's Kurosugi seemed to have gained her an audience. The other students, representing the top teams from the seven prefectures of Kansai, were giving her as well as Kurosugi mildly curious gazes.

Shiraishi too, the so-called Bible of Tennis, was looking at her with hardened eyes which spoke of disapproval.

Not that it had an effect on the two.

If anything, these reactions seemed to have immensely pleased them instead. Enma wrapped a thickset arm around his girlfriend's waist, grinning maniacally and showing off his sharp, pointy teeth. Karin, on the other hand, openly basked in the attention. She even made eye contact with Shiraishi and blew him a flirtatious kiss. Just then, the assigned tournament representatives chose to make their entrance, the coaches following at their heels. Their arrival thankfully broke the cold tension that hung in the air.

"Settle down, you lot, settle down!"

Finally, after a decade and a half (alright, that was an exaggeration), they can get on with the draw. Airi tsked, still disappointed that they didn't start at three o' clock sharp.

An official walked to the stage, carrying a red ballot box. Waiting for her school to be called, Airi thought very regal thoughts, visualizing in her head Maikizoka lifting a golden trophy. She smiled, and then accidentally caught Shiraishi leaning over to saying something to Kurosugi. It wasn't an intimate gesture, not when Kurosugi was half-turned away from him, rage dancing in her eyes. But from where the honor student sat, she could see that, well, there was something that wasn't quite right with Kurosugi. She looked sickly pale, almost as if her very soul was about to be sucked from her body. One, two, three, and then poof- she was gone, gone, _gone_ .

Interesting.

Still, Airi felt no pity for her. First of all, an athlete's number one priority should be his health. Airi, for example, would never allow herself to be in a less than ideal condition, whether physically or mentally. That's the kind of care and toughness needed to survive in this world. Kurosugi clearly failed at that.

Second, Kurosugi didn't need to be affected by Karin's words, not when they were all true to a certain extent. Last year, Shitenhouji was penalized because she and Matsuura failed to show up. If rumors were to be believed, Matsuura had a valid reason for her absence– she had been hospitalized due to minor fractures and a traumatic brain injury. Kurosugi? She had no excuses. She let Akagawa handle everything, didn't even consider the repercussions of her careless actions.

Someone like that who does not assume accountability is not fit to be a captain. And since the one at the top is laughably vulnerable, it should also stand to reason that the entire team would be weak as well.

"Number 4!"

Airi would have to find out at a much later date if her conjecture was correct; she and her team needed to get past Soubu first. She raised her head up high, knowing that they got a good draw. Seemingly reading her thoughts, Karin stood up and mimicked a handgun by extending her thumb and index finger.

'_Bang. You're dead_ .'

Airi scowled. Soubu might give them some trouble along the way, but whoever said the road to glory was a smooth one? She pressed her lips, counting down the days before Regionals would officially begin.

— ()—() —() —

Osamu and their captains weren't around for the day, so it was decided that Koishikawa and Kise would take charge. The latter bemoaned Shiraishi's absence, but resolved to make the afternoon fun and exciting for everyone. With Osamu's permission, she arranged for joint practice matches between the girls and boys teams.

"Ooh~" Koharu, as usual, was shamelessly ogling at his teammates. "Yuuji-kun, your form is as great as always!"

"Thanks, Koharu!" The lovesick bandanna wearing boy beamed, flashing a thumbs up. In the split second it took him to turn his attention back to his game, the ball bounced past him, costing him and his partner a point.

"40-All!"

"Focus on the game Koharu!" Kenya cried out, threatening to whack his doubles partner over the head.

"My Koharu would have covered me!" Yuuji spat back.

As they got into a petty squabble, Yukari couldn't help but notice that Koharu's gaze was fixed primarily on his doubles partner Yuuji– or more accurately, on Yuuji's legs. Having studied in an all-girls school for about 3 years, she thought of this action as inappropriate and disrespectful...even if another male was doing it. She awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Yukari-chan?" Koharu asked, unusually cheerful. "Is something the matter?"

Brows drawn together, she carefully said, "Not to offend you senpai, but I think it's rude to stare."

"...Excuse me?"

The brunette motioned to Yuuji who just dished out a mean-looking slice. "You were checking Hitouji-senpai out, weren't you?"

And for a moment, she thought Koharu would brush her off or, in the worse case scenario, call her out for being a busybody. But he did neither of these things. Instead, Naniwa's Einstein bent over, unable to control himself from laughing hysterically. His laughter was a sharp, shining sound, one that almost made Yukari want to join him.

Almost.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Koharu stopped. He lifted a shoulder in a most dramatic fashion, proclaiming, "Yes, I check other players out." A cheeky smirk. "So?"

'_Is there a problem?_ ' Was the unspoken question.

Yukari was embarrassed, cheeks flushed with crimson. If she had the power, she would just phase into the concrete beneath her and remain there for the rest of her life without a second thought. Yes, of course, she shouldn't have asked such a poorly-thought questio—

"But you see, you can get a lot just by watching," Koharu followed up with a chuckle. "Yuuji's shoes, for example."

"His shoes?"

"Of course. You can learn a lot from a player's shoes. Despite them being only a few months old, his are noticeably more worn on the front left which means he's often running into the net for a backhand." He pointed to his partner. "See?"

They both watched as Yuuji did exactly that.

"Obviously a weakness in his game and one that can be exploited."

"But you're his doubles partner..." Yukari reasoned, not seeing the point. "You already know all of this, so why should you..."

"Oh, Yukari-chan!" Koharu shook his head, looking at her like she couldn't even tie her own laces. "Can't you see? If I can pick all these out just from a few seconds of observing his habits and mannerisms, who's to say a scout or a data player from another school can't?"

For a moment, she was caught off-guard. Her mouth formed a small 'o' after Koharu's enlightening statement. Right, there were _those _kinds of players too. Those who process information a little bit differently than ordinary people, with the machine-like ability to find patterns and repetitions in under a minute even.

"Enough with the nerd stuff," the player standing from behind Koharu piped in. "We're next in line!"

Shitenhouji's resident data player smirked as he offered Yukari and the Aoba, who was standing net to Yukari, his sunniest smile. "Let's have a nice match okay girls?" he said, right before occupying one side of the doubles court.

— ()—() —() —

The girl with the pale blue hair and darting grey eyes was reserved, only speaking whenever something or someone prompted her to do so. It was not that she was a loner, oh no. She was just shy, painfully so. Her Kansaiben needed some work, but aside from that minor detail, almost nothing about Aoba invited threat and people felt that.

And yet, as Yukari watched her doubles partner dive for one of Koharu's corner shots and hit back the ball with such enviable control and precision, she couldn't help but wonder which side of Aoba's rosy, round cheeks could better take a slap. It was a vicious thought, but Yukari couldn't dispel the negative feeling taking over her.

While Koharu was busily throwing out calculations and complaining about the ineffectiveness of his '_dame dame_ ' joke on Aoba, Yukari was trying hard not give her doubles partner a resentful glare. They were partners for today, playing on the same side, but at the same time the were not. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that while Yukari was trying to play doubles, Aoba only wanted to play. It didn't matter how much Yukari tried to intercept the ball, Aoba would always be faster and would _just be there_ , ready to receive. Not only that, Aoba didn't care even if she left her entire side of the court open because she would always race back to cover it anyway.

Was she not worthy to even hit one damn ball?

No, that wasn't right.

Yukari drew a deep breath to calm herself down. Her anger, she reflected, wasn't directed at Aoba. True, Aoba could have been a bit more considerate, but she didn't owe Yukari anything. This girl, the very same one who stutters and trips over her words during class recitations, she's the kind who completely transforms when playing tennis. She owed Yukari nothing, was free to be as impassioned as possible while holding a racquet _because that was what she does best_ . She was like a beautiful ancient katana forgotten on a wall, used as a decoration, so disproportionately different from the purpose it had been forged for... until someone picks it up again, sees the sharpness, notices how deep it can can still cut.

('_But if Aoba's a katana, what are you? A dagger with a dull edge?_ ')

Luckily for Yukari, she managed to push these dangerous thoughts away into some deep, dark corner of her mind as soon as she noticed a cross Kise stepping onto the courts. The vice-captain flicked Aoba's forehead, making the Hokkaido genius wince in pain. She was mouthing off something about doubles, teamwork...

"...hello?! Poor imouto-chan is here too!" Kise grabbed the brunette and spun her around so she and Aoba were face-to-face. "What? You're gonna pretend she doesn't exist?"

"T-That... That wasn't..." Once again, Aoba turned as red as a tomato. She easily blushed, Aoba did. "I didn't mean to... I just had to meet my friend."

Putting aside the weirdness of her statement, something about Aoba's gentle grey eyes convinced Yukari that she was telling the truth. Guilty that she had thought about physically hurting her doubles partner, Yukari swallowed hard and said, "Aoba-chan must not be used to playing doubles. And..." She hesitated. "I'm also learning how to play doubles myself."

The fairheaded vice-captain clucked her tongue sympathetically, then raised a hand to restart the game. Both pairs got to position. Yukari swung her arms and twisted at the waist. If she was lucky, she might also 'meet' this ball like Ao—

Wait.

That... sounded like a good idea, actually.

The point was starting, and Yukari was ready to spring into action. Koharu's partner tossed the ball. The ball went over the net fast, and Aoba, ascertaining that the trajectory meant the ball would go to Yukari's side of the court, stood still and trusted her partner for a return. Yukari did not disappoint, sending the ball crosscourt towards Koharu. It was a high ball with a sufficient amount of topspin, enough to catch the data player off guard.

"0-15!"

"You weren't supposed to hit like that," Koharu whined after, breaking into a small but incredulous smile. "Don't tell me Yukari-chan is already getting serious~?"

Not that Yukari could hear what Koharu was saying. She was looking at her racquet, mouth wide open. It seemed crazy, but Yukari was glad for Aoba's indirect advice.

Now, text books might tell you a lot of things when it comes to returning serves: make your swing compact; have a firm grip; and watch your timing. But in the heat of the moment, isn't it uncommon for one to dump all these reminders and instinctively follow how the body naturally responds? Unfortunately, this could often lead to disaster. Moving without thinking when you haven't accumulated a lot of experience yet is the same as chasing after the ball and swinging the racquet around without much thought. An ineffective technique, Shiraishi himself would say.

In Aoba's case, she thought of the tennis balls as 'friends' and wanted to welcome them, _meet_ them. It was a strange way of thinking, but as Yukari thought about this philosophy again in her head, it sorta made sense. Meeting the ball in tennis meant stepping into the ball's path, using inertia and body weight to hit the ball back with enough force.

She couldn't wait to test this out on the backboard.

"Y-Your form a while ago looked good."

A slip of a smile graced Yukari's lips. "Thanks," she replied, "for the compliment and for letting me handle that one."

"Ah." Aoba's voice was barely above a whisper. "Not at all."

There was an inscrutable expression on Aoba's face, one that suggested that while she didn't mind letting Yukari hitting the ball, she also wasn't glad about it. Yukari was quickly finding out that Aoba was, in so many ways, selfish as long as tennis was involved.

That was fine.

They were encouraged to protect a healthy, competitive spirit in this sport.

— ()—() —() —

"I'll take you home."

Kurosugi felt irritation swell within her. Masking her emotions, she turned to address her team's advisor with a look of quiet warning. "Watanabe Osamu-san," she began, "your concern warms my heart, but I must decline."

"Quit it with the formality, sheesh." Osamu adjusted his hat, snorting good-naturedly. "Outside our teacher-student relationship, I'm still your godfather. Lemme be that responsible adult for once. After all, what Shiraishi told me a while ago—"

"Is none of your business," finished Kurosugi, tone clipped.

Osamu returned her antipathy with a concerned smile.

The girl had a pretty face, but Osamu didn't like it when her features were twisted in contempt… like now. As if reading his thoughts, she glared at the older man, her eyes a quiet cold blaze. '_Don't baby me_ ,' they seemed to communicate. Osamu held his ground, lips upturned and dark irises staring back in challenge.

Realizing that this childish glaring contest was heading nowhere, the wavy haired girl wheeled around violently, so sudden in her movements that Osamu feared she could have lost her balance. Twiggy arms were hugged to her sides as she marched away. As he watched her go, Osamu became alarmed when he noticed that Kurosugi's jersey was loose-fitting, even appearing to be about two sizes too large for her.

God, how much weight has she lost for the past few months?

Something tightened in his chest. Bleakly, he wondered if tennis was gradually destroying this wolf child inside out. And if so, how much would it hurt the both of them if he attempted to stop her from playing again before things could spiral out of control?

('_Osamu-san, I'm glad you and Papa are here_ .')

He lit a cigarette, preferring not to think about it.

— ()—() —() —

"Murasaki-senpai, Murasaki-senpai!"

Murasaki barely had the time to turn before the person grabbed one of her hands. Zaizen, who had been asking for her opinion regarding his newest musical composition, subtly raised an eyebrow. Despite herself, Murasaki couldn't help but smile. She knew Zaizen's quirks, all his habits, could tell whether he liked or disliked something.

Right now, for example, Yukari piqued his interest.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Yukari drew back a step. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

Murasaki meant to assure the younger that it was alright, but then Zaizen stepped forward and brought his face close towards Yukari's. She stiffened, felt her blood freeze.

"Yo, buchou's sister," he remarked airily, "congrats since you're not so dull after all." And then he poked Yukari's cheek, subsequently making her push him away with a high-pitched cry.

Zaizen turned to Murasaki then. "Guess we can continue this on the phone?"

"Y-Yes..." She tried hard to regain her composure. "Sure thing."

After he was gone, Murasaki inclined her head to the side and regarded Yukari with narrowed, stone-cold eyes. The brunette flinched in response, but did not say anything. Murasaki remained still, watching the girl for any change in expression. "I didn't know you and Hikaru-kun were close," she spoke after a while, her pleasant tone belying the swirling jealousy forming at the pit of her stomach.

Yukari looked baffled. She shook her head several times. "I don't think… I mean, we were introduced, but..." The brunette flattened her palms against her skirt, suddenly sounding wounded. "We haven't even spoken more than twice."

_Oh._

The waiflike girl swallowed. Nodded. Managed a feeble smile. Mumbled, "I see. Yes, of course. I'm sorry." There was an ache in her chest, a tight thrumming ache that worsened with every breath, almost as if she was being deprived of oxygen.

What was she doing?

"Right," the second-year repeated as she started walking, long hair swishing behind her. "So?" Yukari jogged to follow.. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Senpai, won't the regulars be attending a tennis clinic this weekend?" When the brunette received a confirming nod, she went on, "You and Kise-fukubuchou won't be there to help me, but I think I'm gonna be okay. Um, on my own, I mean. I think I can do... I can do more. Can do something more challenging."

"Oh?" Boys and girls alike were making way for Murasaki like a tide receding from the coastline. "What makes you think that?"

"I've been thinking about what you asked me last time. About what kind of player I wanted to be."

Murasaki blinked, like she hadn't expected Yukari to say something like that. She eyed her curiously– was it her or did she catch a slight hint of shrewdness in those round, brown eyes? "And your conclusion was..."

"Becoming a regular."

"...Come again?"

"I thought about it, and I think if I work hard enough, I can become a regular." A sheepish smile. "Nothing wrong with reaching for the stars, right?"

Her lax spine became rigid with that statement. This girl, seemingly unremarkable at first glance, was evolving at such a fast rate... almost as if she was making an art out of it. It was too soon, Murasaki thought. Initially she wanted to train the girl so she could be ready next year, but even the former figure skater didn't expect this kind of growth.

But who was she anyway to smother this brightening flame?

"Alright." She needed to make up for her poisonous thoughts a while back. "Shall I propose a shortcut, then?"

— ()—() —() —

Kenya twisted the phone cord around his finger in agitation. "I told you," he snapped, "it's not that I didn't know what rubeola was, I was just testing you to make sure you weren't talking about rubella."

"Let's not kid ourselves." his cousin Yuushi replied over the phone, sounding very blasé. "This is turning out to be like that time when you couldn't identify at least one pathognomonic sign for cardiac tamponade. Now, I give you credit for knowing about Kussmaul's but—"

"When I asked you about the classic presentation, you went absolutely blank!" Kenya burst out, wanting to defend his pride. God, his incorrigible cousin may be a genius dating some teen magazine model, but no way can he allow the bastard to one-up him on this one. "Alright, here's a refresher: was it hypotension or hypertension? Still talking about cardiac tamponade."

"Kenya," Yuushi sighed, "don't make me embarrass you."

"Wait." Kenya tightened his grip on the phone receiver. "Did I just hear... typing?"

For a few seconds, there was only silence on the other end of the line. Before Kenya could ask his cousin if he was still there, Yuushi managed a weak chortle and replied, "Of course not. Goodness Kenya, your imagination knows no bounds."

"Were you googling the answer? You were, weren't you!" The Speed Star of Naniwa accused, laughter threatening to bubble up into his throat. Oh, this was simply too good to pass up. "Come on, Yuuchan, I won't be mad at you," he cooed in a sickeningly saccharine voice.

"Will get back to you later, Oneesan wants to talk to me about something."

And then the call ended. That sneaky four eyes! Before he could punch the set of numbers which would connect him back, the phone rang unexpectedly, making Kenya almost jump out of his skin.

"Geez, don't do that," Kenya chided, getting up to feed his iguana. "So, what's up loser? Here for a rematch?"

"A _what_ ?"

That voice –smooth, silvery, and laced with a slight tinge of amusement– certainly did not belong to his citified cousin currently living in Tokyo.

"Shiraishi?"

He heard a light chuckle. "Yeah, it's me. Listen, about the upcoming clinic—"

"Shoot!" Kenya almost knocked over his iguana's cage. "I forgot about it!"

In preparation for the Regionals, Osamu requested the school board to give them enough funds to attend an 'emergency' clinic camp. After all, the coach argued, both teams were not only the reigning Kansai champions for two years running, they were also top seeded teams capable of challenging even the most sports-oriented schools in Japan. Surely, with a little bit more push, they might be able to become national champions this year. Convinced, the administration granted the teams a weekend clinic with 8 hours of instruction from a former Italian pro. The participating students were promised lodging in guest houses, as well as access to a spa and fitness center for relaxation, rejuvenation, and salon services. Shiraishi and the rest agreed it was a good deal, but there was a catch.

Only regulars would be allowed, and they needed a parent or a guardian's hand-written letter to confirm permission of attendance.

(Kenya feared his parents wouldn't let him attend the clinic, not when they already made plans for that weekend.)

"I'll talk to Dad," Kenya promised, collecting the turnip greens he accidentally dropped on the floor. "Missing one extravagant birthday bash ain't a crime. Family is important but good opportunities come and go." He heard a hum from his captain. "Don't worry, I'll be coming alright? You have my word!"

— ()—() —() —

Eyes closed in bliss, Kana took that hallowed first sip of her drink and uttered a little 'hmm' in pleasure.

Her twin eyed her, bemused. "You like it?"

Kana nodded eagerly. "Yeah, it's real good! Probably the best milk tea in town."

"Let me be the judge of that."

"Hey, oneesan, don't drink too much!"

Across the table, Kurosugi was reading something from a tablet, eyes slightly blurring as she scanned each word. She had already finished taking down notes for all the teams participating for Kansai Regionals, but her head was pounding, as if there was jackhammer drilling into her head. Rubbing her temple, she used her other hand to remove her reading glasses and hand back the tablet to its owners.

Instantly, Hana and Kana quieted down.

"Rikkai is a den of monsters, we all know that already." Kurosugi's voice was tight. "But Saotome Sora just returned from physical rehab so they're back in full force. In addition, they added _her_ as a reserve."

The twins both knew that this _her_ was Matsuura Haru. They suppressed a shiver, not wanting to open a can of worms.

"Yes," Hana coughed, "at least that's what they say. However, we don't know why they're benching her when she's definitely better than at least half of the regulars there." She swiped a finger to unlock the tablet. "Maybe they're keeping her as a hidden weapon, or maybe her skills regressed. Hard to say for sure."

"Hn."

Choosing to direct the conversation into a less touchy subject, Kana asked, "Is she familiar, buchou?"

Kana showed an image of a girl in a Seigaku uniform, poised to hit a backhand. Her long mahogany hair fell in messy curls around her shoulders. Bright and expressive jade-colored eyes were staring back at the camera. Everything about her, from her smile to her posture, was natural and free of contrivance. She looked like someone who made good first impressions.

Still, nothing was registering for Kurosugi. After spending about a minute scrutinizing the photograph, she reluctantly admitted, "No, I can't say I recognize her."

"This is Tanikawa Hijiri, a third year," Kana introduced. "She's Seigaku's doubles specialist, but even so, it's not like she has shown a memorable performance last year. After her former doubles partner graduated, she paired off with this second year who has an, erm, unorthodox play style. Now, rumors have it that they can even give Rikkai's Hayasaka-Kurumizawa pair a run for their money."

"Her partner sounds like the special one then."

Kana laughed nervously, fingering her fishtail braid. "True, but what's even stranger was she was chosen as captain over Okabe Ran."

'_Over the player known as the _Phoenix of the Courts_? Over _that _Okabe Ran?_ ' With sharpened interest, Kurosugi tapped her chin and glanced again at the photograph. "I see. That is quite surprising, considering Okabe's no pushover herself." Her eyes flashed. "What about Hyoutei?"

The two exchanged similar uncomfortable looks. Kurosugi picked this up and crossed her arms, her pointed expression asking for an explanation. _Or else._

"We traded information with Hyoutei's demon of a vice-captain so they're the only team in Kanto we don't have a lot of data on," Kana confessed, fidgeting slightly. She took a sip from her milk tea, then continued, "All we know is that their team is quite similar to ours last year: bad at doubles, but utterly dominant in singles. From what we've gathered, they _always_ end their matches at either S2 or S3."

"Tsk." Kurosugi shut her eyes tight as she thought of the undefeated Ice Queen. Unmatched in strength, blinding in sight. "They're confident because they have that borderline dissociative Natalia Karapetyan with them. It would make everyone's lives easier if she had gone ahead to become a pro."

"Certainly, Rikkai would concur. Hyoutei's bound to give them trouble in their regionals." Hana chewed her bottom lip as a thought occurred to her. "Or maybe not. Hyoutei would have to muscle their way into forcing an S1 for them to have a chance. But in the one in a million chance they succeed..."

The younger twin imitated the sound of an explosion. "Boom! Game over."

Kurosugi laced her hands together and let out a deep exhale, not sharing their enthusiasm. The twins, sensing the mood, simply watched as she finished her lukewarm black coffee and delicately wiped her lips with a napkin. She stood up and then said, "These are all very informative. Thank you both for the productive evening, Midoriyama Kana," she turned her head, "and Midoriyama Hana. As your captain, I am very grateful for the help."

Hana frowned. '_No, we're here to help you, just as you helped us. You don't need them, these people who only want to throw stones and cast judgement on you_ ."

"We want to be useful," Kana blurted out from beside Hana, a shy smile pasted on her lips.

For a second, Kurosugi _actually _looked taken aback, as if she had heard something dreadful instead. But their captain did not want any chinks in her armor, and she proved that when a placid expression made its way back to her face.

'_How does it feel to pretend to be unfeeling?_ ' Hana wanted to ask, but instead she chose to swallow down her words.

"You are reliable teammates, I see." The captain's voice was neutral, even sounding little bit disinterested. No one could have mistaken them for friends. Kurosugi then started to place her belongings in a satchel. "When convenient, just send all these to my email. And..." She stood up a little straighter, and added, voice low but full of caution, "I think we would need more information on Soubu. Something tells me they'll be this year's dark horses."

— ()—() —() —

**Atobe Corp to Host a Junior Tournament on the Weekend**

By Inoue Mamoru

Atobe Corp have given its support to local tennis after announcing its sponsorship of a walk-in U-17 tennis tournament at the launch of Liberty Club in downtown Tokyo on Wednesday.

Atobe Corp, mainly known for its security services during its early days, is now the largest commercial bank in Asia in terms of deposit, loan, asset, tier one capital and profit. This venture into tennis is considered to be part of an effort on their part to divulge into the world of sports and spearhead a new era for the company.

"Our intention is to not focus only on the activities which we've been strong in, but to branch out into additional areas in sport." Tournament chairman Suou Kushina also praised Atobe Keigo, the company's youngest junior executive. "Atobe-san was the one who pushed for the project, going as far as to forge a partnership with KTA (Kantou Tennis Association). We're very happy to be associates for this tournament and I'm certain that this will not be the first and only competition that we will be involved in."

There has been renewed interest in local tennis in recent times, which has caused an increase in tennis centres and academies in an island-nation in need of a sports superstar to fill in the void left by Echizen Nanjirou. Suou pointed out that tournaments like these were important in giving young players exposure and playing experience.

The preliminaries will be contested on Saturday, with the semi-finals set to begin at 10:30 pm on Sunday, which is the final day. The tournament is open to any player from the nation ages 12-17. Matches will be played on full 78-foot hard courts with yellow balls. In keeping with tradition, players must wear all white tops.

As an additional incentive, KTA vice-president Mori Kouran said winners of the various categories will receive a 25,000 yen gift certificate from sports equipment and sportswear company, Mizuno.

— ()—() —() —

"No."

Yukari was on the couch, legs tucked demurely under her, a bright plaid skirt tucked around her knees. A strangled sound came out from her throat and she echoed, "No?"

Shiraishi Fuyu gave her daughter a sideways glance, then sighed. "Yukari-chan, Papa has to attend a conference and your brother is going to a tennis clinic sponsored by the school." The Shiraishi matriarch picked up the paper her daughter gave her. "This… this seems like a sudden decision on your part. Not that I disapprove, but this is in Tokyo. There's no one to accompany you and they don't even provide lodging."

"I searched the internet and there are inns near the area," she argued.

"What about the money needed?"

"I have my savings."

"But you're just a little girl," countered Fuyu tone rising. "Who knows what would happen? Come on dearest, there will be more opportunities for you in the fu—"

"Why can't you go with me then?" Her mouth formed a straight line, and her eyes became indolent. There was an unusual defiance in that look, one that Fuyu did not like but at the same time found herself admiring. Voice dropping a few notches down, Yukari asked in a small, shaking voice, "Why was oneesan allowed to move to Tokyo when she turned 17, but I can't even travel there for the weekend?"

The air around them was charged with expectation.

'_But you're our youngest, our baby girl_ ," Fuyu reasoned in her heart. Before she could formulate a reply meant to placate her daughter, Yukari got up and fled upstairs, not sparing her mother even a backwards glance.

"What do you mean you can't go?" Shiraishi was saying on the phone before he bumped into his sister. Offering no apology, Yukari headed straight to her room and loudly slammed the door behind her. Confused, the boy went to the kitchen and found his mother washing the dishes, eyes hidden by ash blonde tresses.

"Okaasan, something wrong with Yukari?" He inquired, languidly walking to his mother's side. Upon taking notice of her dark expression and watery eyes, he hurriedly put down his phone and turned off the faucet, forcing his mother to look at him. "Okaasan. Tell me what happened."

Fuyu shivered and clasped her hands, suddenly looking very, very tired. "Do you think I'm a good mother?"

"Okaasan, where is this coming from?" Shiraishi demanded. Brimming with positivity and optimism, Fuyu was the kind of woman who rarely got depressed over things. Her warm smile was a source of strength for everyone in the family. So why…

"Oh look at me, making my only son worry." With a self-conscious laugh, she turned away and dried her hands. "I'll just go to Yukari's room. I need to apologize because I've done her wrong. Don't be too concerned, Kuranosuke."

"But okaasan!"

Fuyu did not turn around, pretending to not hear her son's voice. Resolutely, she marched upstairs, intending to confront her upset child.

Shiraishi found himself alone. He settled into a chair, feeling his energy leave his limbs. His mother and Yukari had their disagreements from time to time, but never to the point where his younger sister would walk out of a conversation and lock herself in her room. Shiraishi had been wondering if he should intervene when a piece of paper, lying on top of the coffee table, caught his attention. Before he realized what he was doing, a hand was already darting to pick it up.

"Atobe Corp to Host a Junior Tournament on the Weekend…" Shiraishi paused, the gears of his mind turning. The puzzled line across his brow smoothed out, gradually, and the light of understanding came to his eyes. "I see now. I understand."

* * *

**A/N:**

This chapter is actually the start of the Road to Regular/Kansai Regionals Arc. I have a lot of things planned out, but I'm having trouble writing them. Even this chapter hasn't been edited yet ugh.

_roe2_

PS: If a Houkago no Oujisama subbed video pops up in tumblr, I may have had a hand in that.


	11. Level Up

**chapter ELEVEN: ****Level Up**

* * *

Heavy applause thundered from the audience after Atobe's opening remarks. A marching band of beautiful women wearing flashy jackets then appeared and played an upbeat song. The Atobe heir gamely acknowledged a crowd clamoring for his attention with a haughty smirk and a wave of a hand. Having the 'King' on stage made it look ten times more grandiose that it actually was. He momentarily paused when he spotted a girl breaking away from the sea of people, sprinting towards him. His mouth twitching upwards, he spread out his arms and caught her.

"You brat." Atobe couldn't hide the fondness in his voice. "What are you doing here, ahn~?"

This strange creature named Suou Tsukushi was an airhead who, in addition to possessing zero sense of style, refused to wash her hair or follow a daily skin care routine to clear her acne. He had once ordered for his personal stylist to give her a make-over, but even that proved to be a gargantuan task.

Honestly, he's doing Tsukushi a favor by allowing her to bask in his glorious, blinding presence.

"Kabaji is sick and I figured I should be here in his place," Tsukushi replied a beat later, stepping backwards and beaming at him."You might be glad to hear that I've learned kung-fu to calm down the raging Spanish bulls."

Atobe's eyebrows lifted a fraction of an inch. "How imaginative," he murmured.

What the girl said didn't make sense, but it had always been like that. He supposed this eccentricity of hers was what helped her grab an art scholarship in an elite school like Hyoutei despite the fierce and rigorous selection process.

"Allow me to rephrase my question then– _why_ are you here?" When Tsukushi opened her mouth, he immediately speared her with a warning look. "Don't lie to me. We both know how much you hate your mother's job."

She pouted, bringing to mind the image of an errant child being scolded. Just then, Atobe saw a swarm of reporters beelining their way, so he signaled for his bodyguards to intervene before pulling Tsukushi away to a VIP-restricted area. The girl was lost in her own world, and it was only when Atobe snapped a finger in front of her that she was oriented back to reality.

"So?" Atobe prompted, absently motioning for the staff member inside the tent to give them privacy.

"There's this girl I met in an art fair this summer." Tsukushi's cheeks colored, her delicate artist's hands clasped behind her back. "I've never seen someone my age paint like her, Atobe-kun. _Never. _You know that Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painting displayed on your dad's office? The one Google gave as a gift last year? She created a painting sort of like that– radical, raw, impressively surreal—"

Atobe wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Imitation is a talent then?"

"No, no!" The scholar was quick to defend, shaking her head. "Well, if you see her paint you'll understand. But, umm, yeah. We chatted a bit and she told me she transferred to Seigaku last year and played tennis on the side."

The charismatic Hyoutei captain did not need to use his Insight to know where this was going.

"I saw her name in the list of participants. Onizuka-fukubuchou forbid us from playing tennis outside official school practices and tournament matches, but it's not like we aren't allowed to watch others play right?" She turned to him, eyes asking for his opinion on the subject.

_'Right?'_

Atobe's rubbed the bridge of his nose and stared down at her. Flippantly, he remarked, "Of course you would want to hear what I would say about the subject, but shouldn't you exercise your autonomy instead of waiting for a command like an obedient dog?" She kept her silence, making the Hyoutei captain frown. "For heaven's sake, you know that you don't need to follow everything that she-devil says, ahn~?"

"But she scares me," whispered the girl, feeling her toes go cold even in the sweltering summer heat.

"And I don't?"

"We both know you're too kind for me to be afraid of you."

The Atobe heir was suddenly reminded of that time when Tsukushi asked for the permission of the student council to draw on the white walls in the campus. When he asked if she thought Hyoutei was too simple for her tastes, she went silent at first._ "I just want to make them prettier,"_ she then explained, while his vice-president shook his head in despair. Atobe only took one look at her, and he determined already that there was something about the whiteness, the blankness of the walls that Tsukushi couldn't leave alone.

So he let her paint, but he did not stop the student council officers from repainting the walls blank and white again the following week. He thought Tsukushi would complain because of an unkept promise, but she did the opposite. _"Too kind,"_ she laughed when she stopped by to thank him for gifting her with another blank canvas. The next day, the white walls featured a boy-king on his throne, his robe Prussian blue and his crown citron-yellow. The boy's posture was relaxed, but the intensity of his gaze unsettled anyone who bothered to stare back. Atobe remembered looking at her work, then at the paper with her initial sket—

"What's that...?" His train of thoughts stopped when he noticed a sketchbook tucked underneath her arm. Mortification swelled inside him. "I thought I told you to throw _that_ away?!"

She held on to her personal belonging protectively. "Uh, I thought you just told me to redo my drawing..."

"You—" He started, but there was too much to say that even the Atobe Keigo found himself overwhelmed. "What?"

How could he have missed _this_?

"It's fine, it's fine! See?" She flipped her sketchbook open and Atobe swore all the languages he learned in his childhood started blending together— _non, nein, ochi, no. _**No.** For a moment, his open incredulity only allowed him to listen as his companion continued without pausing for breath, "Last time it was Oshitari-kun on top and you didn't seem pleased with it, so now I made you guys switch positions and now you're the one ridi—"

"TSUKUSHI!"

Perhaps he shouldn't be too soft on this girl.

— ()—() —() —

After unpacking, the group headed toward where they assumed the tennis courts were, passing a lake on the way. The lake had a great dock and further out was a big float one could swim out to and climb onto to sunbath or rest before heading back to shore. Koharu squealed and talked about wanting to meet handsome topless boys. Predictably, he was ignored.

Since it was a sunny though relatively mild day in Osaka, they made it to their destination without breaking much of a sweat. They located six hard courts, each individually lighted with handsome wooden chairs and low tables at courtside. There was also a minimalist pro shop nearby. Koishikawa and Kise volunteered to check out the said shop. They came out reporting that the shop sold balls, a few accessories, loaner racquets, and offered restringing services.

"Man, I could get used to this," Chitose smilingly commented.

Koharu inspected the towering third-year and asked, "Excuse me, who are you even?" Chitose feigned a look of hurt. Instantly, Koharu cackled and clung to him, cooing, "Of course I know you, Senri-kyun! I was just making a _joooke_!"

"Adultery!" Yuuji was quick to follow up.

"Well, he is always absent from practices," Shiraishi pointed out in a lighthearted manner.

Kurosugi didn't seem very pleased though. "Where is the former pro scheduled to instruct us? It's almost 9 and we cannot afford to waste any more time."

The stone-faced Yasutora nodded her head in agreement. "Also, where is Watanabe-san? We can't start without his supervision."

In the background, Kintarou whined, "I'm huuuungry! Shiraishi, where is the food stand?"

Aoba, who was standing beside the hyperactive redhead, cringed and stepped sideways to her right. Gin stood next to Shiraishi and Koishikawa, arms crossed. The twins were taking pictures of the courts with Kise attempting to photobomb them every chance she got. Meanwhile, Zaizen and Murasaki spoke in hushed voices at the back of the group, not looking particularly concerned with the late arrival of their instructor... or their coach/adviser.

As it turned out, there was no need to worry. Osamu joined them only a few minutes later, accompanied by a middle-aged, balding man with a firm chin and a full face.

"Welcome to camp. Paolo Morando, at service of everyone," the man announced grandly, smiling at the group. His thick dialect made it hard to understand what he wanted to say. When he noticed the confusion on the students' faces, he repeated his earlier greeting in a slower tone delivered with better articulation.

"Morando-san here won two French Open titles back in '81 and '82," Osamu revealed, much to the surprise and amazement of the Shitenhouji students. "He was a Roland Garros regular, even reaching 12th at one point of his career."

Morando slapped Osamu's back. "Old eestory, no? I do not play no more, only teach these young ducklings!"

"He sounds so wei—" Before Kintarou could finish his sentence, Yuuji clamped the super rookie's mouth while Koishikawa pushed him to the back of the group.

Thankfully, the Italian seemed to have not heard the outburst. He observed the group, then inclined his head to ask Osamu, "15? Count no good? Does the paper not say 8 boys and 8 girls?"

"Ah, about that." Osamu pulled out his pack of cigarettes, which were slightly crushed from having slept on them. With a slight shake of the head, he explained simply, "It's regrettable, but one of the boys wasn't given permission to attend the emergency clinic."

— ()—() —() —

There was the clinking of delicate china, the wafting aroma of steeped tea. The almost taste of cloying sweet-cream, the fragrance of laundered shirts and the creases of expensive leather.

"Sad hours seem long. Was that my father that went hence so fast?" Yuushi theatrically exclaimed, one hand clutching his chest.

Kenya, who was sniffing the Darjeeling tea served by one of the housemaids, promptly looked up. The presence of tea conditioned the Speed Star to prepare himself for the usual numbing, soothing music, so his ears rang when he heard his cousin's monologue.

"Not having that which, having, makes them short."

"Geez, you're so perfumey toda— Ah, wait." Kenya slowly smirked. "In love?"

"Out."

"Of love?"

The bespectacled teen shook his fist with great drama. "Out of her favor, where I am in love!"

It's one of the inside jokes they have– him and Yuushi. It all started when he was assigned to play 'Benvolio' for a Christmas play the Oshitari family staged for fun a few years ago. Yuushi, as Romeo, had been so deeply immersed in his role that from time to time he would quote passages from Shakespeare and recite them with great emotion.

"Take my advice, forget to think of her," Kenya played along, voice deeper than usual.

At this point, the housemaid still in the room was probably using up all of her mental strength just to hold in her laughter. There was no way you could be a witness to this scene and not wonder if the two cousins have lost it.

"O, teach me how I should forget to think!"

"Dude, just examine other beauties."

"... ..."

And then they exploded with laughter, making even the stoic housemaid bite her lip from their antics. Yuushi smirked and smoothed his white button-up shirt. "Well Kenya, I must say I'm impressed you still remember most of your lines. With your poor attention span, I've decided to lower my expectations but you managed to surprise."

"Please, this is child's play."

"Hmm, and speaking of other beauties..." Yuushi wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Who was that girl you guys dropped off before heading here?"

Kenya straightened his spine. "Who told you we dropped anyone off?"

"Shouta-kun, of course."

"Meh." Kenya scratched the back of his head, a little annoyed that Shouta was more loyal and devoted to Yuushi than to his own older brother. "It was just Shiraishi's younger sister." He thought he should leave it at that, but he decided to add, "She's also Shouta's classmate."

Kenya had hoped this would be the end of the discussion, but Yuushi pressed on, "Your handsome captain's sister? My, she must be a pretty young thing then."

"Gross." Kenya's eyebrows twitched. "You're turning creepy again!"

The light on Yuushi's glasses shifted ominously. Lips curled in mischief, he locked eyes with his cousin and noted, "Ah. You don't want to talk anymore about her."

"You can't hit on my captain's sister. I'll get killed."

"Then is Shouta hitting on her?"

Kenya scoffed.

"I see. So you're the one hitting on her?"

He almost fell over his chair.

"Is that wise?" An affectionate chuckle bubbled from the Hyoutei genius's throat, followed by a clink of a teacup against the delicate plate. "Like you said, she's your captain's sister. Even going as far as to have your family take her to Tokyo..."

"Don't get the wrong idea," Kenya retorted harshly. "Shiraishi did all the convincing through telephone. Dad thinks he's great, and he didn't see it as a problem so—"

"I get it." Yuushi offered an understanding smile. "You were helping out a friend."

"Yeah, that's right." The Speed Star's voice was a bit off. He thought of Yukari, bowing her small head over and over to thank his family for letting her accompany them on their trip. "Helping a friend..."

Yuushi ignored the strangeness in his cousin's voice and inquired in a pleasant tone, "So what's her purpose in Tokyo again?"

Idly, Kenya ran a hand through his bleached hair. "To play in that tournament that narcissistic captain of yours organized."

— ()—() —() —

"Game, set, and match, Shiraishi! 6-4!"

Her opponent was only a slip of a girl, but there was an air of maturity which surrounded her. During the handshake, Yukari caught the disappointment that flashed across the girl's features. She almost felt bad, but immediately realized that if she was the one who lost instead, then that would mean she'd gone to Tokyo for nothing.

When Murasaki asked Yukari if she wanted to compete in a tournament on such short-notice, her first reaction was to ask if Murasaki was crazy. While she felt improvement in her movements and shots, she wasn't sure if she was confident enough to travel all the way to Kanto to test her skills. She argued that there might be strong local players out there who could crush her without even lifting a finger.

"_That might be so, but you have a lot less rivals,_" Murasaki had calmly answered, unperturbed. "_Regionals will be starting this week, and no team captain would be happy if they found out that one of their regulars was focusing on another tournament where there would always be the risk of injury and exhaustion._"

Yukari caught on. Of course, there was still the possibility that strong players not affiliated with any school or have been part of a team that didn't make it for Regionals would show up. Still, this was a good opportunity that Yukari knew she shouldn't pass up on.

It was embarrassing, but the Oshitaris were a lot of help. Even if she tried, she wouldn't be able to thank them enough for everything they have done, from arranging a flight ticket to escorting her to a relative's apartment. They had even apologized for not taking care of her enough, explaining that they needed to attend a lavish gala in honor of a family member.

"_Please don't trouble yourselves!"_ She gratefully assured them. "'_l'll be fine with my Aunt and Uncle here. Thank you once more!" _

Kenya had also repeatedly asked her to call him if she ever runs into trouble.

"_You know, because Shiraishi would poison me in my sleep in case anything happened," _he gruffly told her as he entered his number on her phone. For good measure, he asked Shouta if he wanted to exchange contacts with Yukari too.

(Some days, she didn't know how to deal with this senpai of hers.)

Yukari picked up her things, intending to head to the office to report the result and get another assignment. As she contemplated on texting her brother to tell him that she got into the 2nd round, her eyes spotted two imposing figures talking to her opponent from earlier.

"Michiko." The one with the black hat placed a large hand on the girl's shaking shoulder. "You put up a good fight. Your brother, if he were here, would agree that you did well."

'_Same name as Empress of Japan…'_ Yukari found herself thinking as she tied her shoelaces, her ears straining to hear more of the conversation.

"I did terrible," the girl named Michiko complained, swatting away her companion's hand.

The other boy –the one with the sharp features and closed eyes– recited without emotion, "Terrible is an overstatement, but there are a lot of things you have to work on. 46% of the time you hit low lobs, allowing your opponent to come to the net and close off down-the-line passing shots. You rely too much on your kick serve; it would be beneficial if you could chart the percentage of first and second serves in, as well as points won while counting the number of aces, double faults, and unreturned aces. Furthermore, your grip—"

"I got it!" Michiko cut off with a resigned smile, ducking her head and letting her beautiful ebony hair spill forward.

The young man pulled his hat low, and muttered something Yukari couldn't hear. Suddenly ashamed of her nosiness, Yukari packed up her things and turned to go. For a moment, she thought she heard one of the boys mention the name of the most formidable tennis team in the circuit.

The undefeated champions, King Rikkai.

— ()—() —() —

"_Eccellente,_" Morando called. "Take some _aqua_ and must grab racquets. We shall play, ah, this game? Tea and Biscuits."

Zaizen scrunched up his nose. "Play _what_?"

The instructor made exaggerated motions in the air. "Tea, the one serving, is on the baseline. Biscuits stand next to the doubles sideline at service line." He walked over to the line and pointed at it. "When you eer signal, must sidestep out to center service line then backpedal to baseline. Forehand ball from a server -in this case, me- is given to biscuit. Rally then happens between tea and biscuit. If biscuit wins point, biscuit only has five seconds to run from baseline to other baseline since next player sidesteps to center service line and goes to baseline." Morando paused, trying to let the information sink in. "If tea wins point, must remain as tea. All biscuits who fail to get point must go back to end of the line. "

"You guys understood all that?" Osamu clarified.

"Yes!"

They jogged to the fence behind the far baseline to grab some water. "So basically, this is like a modified King of the Courts," Shiraishi concluded after wiping his mouth with the collar of his tennis shirt. "Ah~ Ecstasy~!"

"As expected, Shiraishi-sama gets it!" Kise commented in admiration, staring at the ash blond haired captain with hearts in her eyes. Murasaki had to elbow the bespectacled blonde to snap her out of it as well as to keep her from blocking the drinking fountain.

"Ah…" Chitose had a dreamy look in his eyes. "A stroll would be nice."

The Einstein of Naniwa flapped his hands. "Someone stop Chitose from his gypsy ways!"

Kintarou asked, "What's a gypsy?" just as Aoba tugged Murasaki's sleeve to ask the same thing.

"Maybe it's it's another word for tall?" Yuuji suggested.

The wolf child sent a glare towards the Italian's way. Clearly, she was in a foul mood. "We don't need this," she stated firmly. "Shitenhouji's wasting money on a washed-up pro who is sticking to outdated, traditional ways of training."

"Hey now." Shiraishi had rushed forward so he stood directly in her line of sight. He was smiling at Kurosugi, but his eyes were wary. "There is no need to badmouth Morando-san. He's giving us drills that would improve the fluidity in our motions."

"That's right," Koishikawa sided with his captain.

Kurosugi ground her teeth against the apology which almost leapt out of her throat. "Whatever," she bit off as she turned around, the first to head back to the courts.

Underneath her breath, Murasaki mumbled darkly, "A volatile leader is no good after all."

— ()—() —() —

Arm up, ball up, racquet up. Racquet down, ball down, Ponta can… not quite down.

Really?

The auburn-haired girl watched as the ball bounced a few more times before rolling to a harmless stop at the far end of the court. The can, however, remained obstinately upright.

"Right," she muttered to herself before she went back to the baseline again. She closed her eyes and felt the heartfire rising behind her eyes, threatening to melt the frost in her heart.

This time the ball clipped the can but it still remained upright.

And just like that, she felt herself deflating once more.

"Why... " Her voice was hollow as she stared helplessly at the hand holding the racquet. The spirit was willing, but the body…

"Yuni-chan?"

At the mention of her name, the girl half-turned towards her mother who was holding a foam plate full of thinly-sliced apples. The middle-aged woman put down the food on the picnic mat they set up. She produced a paper fan and waved it in an attempt to to dry the sweat gathering at her hairline. "Ah. Tennis?" She smiled warmly at her daughter. "You're planning to get back to it again?"

"N-No… I just.." And then Yuni trailed off, because did she want to do this again? Get herself hurt? What was she doing, getting baited by Shiraishi? No, she was just…

"I'm just playing around," she mumbled, picking up both the Ponta can and the ball. She stared at the latter, and tried hard not to remember the green and yellow uniform of Shitenhouji. Tightly controlling the emotion in her voice, she continued, "It's been a while and I thought I should get some exercise. I-It's not a big deal, really."

Her mother laughed. "I see. Well, take a break first. We have a fairly hot afternoon."

'_Coward, coward, coward._'

"Of course, Mom."

— ()—() —() —

Yukari bounced the ball in preparation for her next serve. Across the net, a girl regarded her with the eyes of a predator. The brunette tossed the ball and dished out a serve that came hard and fast. She smirked, internally thanking Kise for teaching her how to serve with power. There was no time to celebrate though as her opponent hit back the ball. Yukari cried out as she managed a return, with her opponent trying to save a point with a backhand down the line, but it was just wide.

"40-15!"

Her opponent shot her a hateful look. Yukari tried hard to ignore her, and focused on getting the last point.

"Game, set and match, Shiraishi, 7-5!"

Alright, so she was moving on to the 3rd round! That last one was tough– her opponent was slippery even when cornered. She had to attack the girl's backhands relentlessly to break during the 5th game. Yukari sank on the bench, already exhausted. However, this was the good kind of exhaustion, the kind that made you feel lightheaded because you knew you've been productive.

After gathering her things, she pulled out her phone from the crochet case her mother had knitted for her last year. She flexed her wrist before she started to compose a message on the screen keyboard. A smile blossomed on her face as she thought of winning the next matches to surprise her brother. After pressing '_Send_', Yukari felt her heart stop when she realized that she may have accidentally goofed up.

"Eh?" She blinked once, twice. "Kenya-senpai?"

Indeed, the name listed on the recipient read as, 'Shitenhouji: Oshitari Kenya.'

Yukari frowned, then pressed '_Clear_' on the screen without a moment's hesitation. Heat crept up to her cheeks. She huffed in annoyance, intent on brushing this as a silly mistake on her part. Yes, _silly_. Why was she feeling flustered all of a sudden? Was this a side-effect of playing for long periods of time?

Yes, that sounded as good an explanation as any! No need to over-think this.

Humming happily, Yukari composed another message detailing her progress. As her fingers danced on the screen, her stomach was telling her to head to the food court stationed directly ahead before checking up the bulletin board. It was lunch break already anyway, and now was the best time to replenish her energy. Starving athletes rarely win, right? Patting her growling stomach, Yukari slung her racquet bag over her shoulder enthusiastically.

"Aww!"

Perhaps a bit too enthusiastically.

The bag hit her back_ hard_. The force as well as the suddenness was enough to send her stumbling forward. Before she knew it, a pair of arms sprung from out of nowhere to catch her, one hand on the small of her back and the other supporting her right shoulder. She found herself balanced in a backward arch, her arms dangling helplessly on her sides. Her gaze landed on her savior. Clear violet eyes blinked at Yukari. She opened her mouth, about to say something, but the boy hushed her with a charming grin before gently pulling her upright.

"T-That was close." Yukari pressed a palm against her chest. "Thank you, er—"

"Momo!"

"Oi! Kikumaru-senpai, Oishi-senpai, here!" The boy called out, waving a hand towards two approaching figures.

"Nya! Don't leave us behind again, Momo!" The redhead lectured, playfully hitting "Momo" on the head. He stuck out his tongue before he noticed Yukari who was observing them with slight apprehension. "Uwaahh Momo, who is this girl?" The scandalized expression on his face puzzled Yukari. "Nagisa-chan won't be happy about this nya!"

"Eiji!" The other boy's hand came down apologetically on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry about this, he can be quite energetic."

"I think I'm used to it," Yukari waved off, thinking of the Shitenhouji students she interacted with on a daily basis.

Her response earned her bemused looks from the trio.

"I don't wanna be rude or anything," Kikumaru hopped forward and squinted his eyes, "but are you from Kansai?"

Yukari petrified, just for an instant. But then she realized that the boy merely posed a harmless question so she shouldn't be feeling self-conscious."Uh, yeah." Her accent really gave her away, huh? "The advertisement did say that all players _across the nation_ are allowed to participate, not just the locals."

"Well it _is_ Atobe. If there is anyone who can organize a big event at a moment's notice, it's that guy," Oishi pointed out in a casual tone. The way he reacted hinted that he found something amusing, although what this something was, Yukari had no idea.

"Feh! We defeated Hyoutei just a week ago though!" The redhead punched the air. "Take that nya!"

"Excuse me, but you guys are part of a team…?" Yukari ventured.

"Oh! Oh right!" Oishi stared at the brunette for a moment, before sheepishly extending a hand out. "I'm Oishi Syuuichiro." He pointed to the boy beside him, jumping up and down without any signs of stopping. "My bestfriend Kikumaru Eiji. The two of us play Doubles for Seigaku, although we're not taking part in this tournament."

"Hoi hoi!"

Seigaku. She'd heard of the name before.

The last one to introduce himself was the spirited boy with the violet eyes. He waved at Yukari, his other hand rubbing the back of his head. "Momoshiro Takeshi here! Seigaku's number one rascal!"

A light blush colored Yukari's cheeks. "Nice to meet you, Momoshiro-san."

"Yellow card, yellow card! Momo, don't flirt with her!" Kikumaru berated, wagging a finger at his teammate.

"I wasn't!" Inclining his head, he implored for Yukari to clear up the misunderstanding. "Tell them I am innocent!"

Yukari laughed and recounted to the two how Momoshiro saved her from falling flat on her face. The two exchanged matching grins and praised Momo for his boldness and quick action. The two's stories convinced Yukari that everyday heroism didn't seem out of the ordinary for Momo– he was the type who probably offered his seat to the elderly or helped children look for lost dogs.

"Anyway, I have to go!" Momo gave them an apologetic look, bringing the fingers of both hands together so they were interlaced. "Nagisa just texted saying she wanted me to treat her to some curry."

As they watched him go, Yukari asked with mild curiosity, "Who's Nagisa?"

"Oh, it's his girlfriend~" Kikumaru cupped his cheeks, trying to suppress the wide grin which threatened to erupt on his face. "They're so sweet nya! Momo even defended her when Hijiri-nyan tried to stop Nagisa from participating in this tournament."

Yukari wanted to ask who Hijiri was next, but she decided that she was already satisfied with the answers she had gotten. Besides, she just met these boys a while ago so she didn't have the right to ask intrusive questions. To pry even when it wasn't her place would be, well, rude.

And so, with a cordial nod, Yukari explained to the pair that she only had 20 minutes left before lunch break was up so she would also be going ahead. Cheerfully, Oishi and Kikumaru sent her off. As she rounded a corner and disappeared from their view, Kikumaru made a strangled sound.

Concerned, Oishi gave his partner a sidewards glance. "What's wrong, Eiji?'

Kikumaru's shoulders were slumped. "We forgot to ask her her name!"

— ()—() —() —

"You're tense."

Yasutora whipped her whole body around, hiding her arms behind her back. She quirked an eyebrow when she realized that the voice belonged to Midoriyama Hana, the quieter of the mysterious _kunoichi_ twins. What a rare sight, she thought, to see this girl separated from her sister. They were practically attached to the hip.

She threw a suspicious look in the newcomer's direction. "Says who?"

"When we were doing the exercises, you couldn't lift up your right arm after you received one of Gin-san's Hadoukyuu shots." Hana walked past Yasutora and headed to the sink behind her. "You should tell buchou about this before it gets worse."

That was the wrong thing to say. Pride wounded, Yasutora raised her arm to refute the claim. "I forgot, you and your sister are lapdogs for Kurosugi." It didn't matter that her forearm muscles felt like being torn out, she just refused to look vulnerable in front of this pixie-like girl.

Hana pursed her lips. She opened the cold water valve, shoved both hands under the steady stream and with a quick flick of her wrists, splashed the water on Yasutora.

Droplets of water dripping from her hair, Yasutora groaned, "You bitch...!"

"Yasutora-chan." Hana whispered, a drenched hand squeezing the other girl's elbow. Her hands were cold, making Yasutora wince. "I was giving an advice. A friendly advice, one I don't usually offer unless I see any benefits." Viridian green eyes hardened. "But fine, let's play it your way." She walked backwards, drying her hands using her skirt. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

— ()—() —() —

Yukari's eyes bugged out as she read the bulletin board. A shiver ran through her. What's this eerie coincidence? Her next opponent...

"Sakaguchi... Nagisa-chan?"

* * *

**A/N:**

So a bunch of OCs made their appearance in this chapter. To be honest, I just wanted to write characters that are NOT from Shitenhouji for a change of pace. Oops?

For everyone's convenience, a cheat sheet:

_Suou Tsukushi\- _From Hyoutei, was granted an art scholarship. Quite close to Atobe. A shameless fujoshi.

_"Onizuka-fukubuchou"- _First mentioned as the 'Hyoutei demon' by the twins in Chapter 8. Formidable vice-captain of the Hyoutei team.

_Paolo Morando\- _Former Italian pro. Instructor for the emergency tennis clinic.

_"Michiko"\- _A Rikkai student. Seems to be quite close with Sanada and Yanagi for some reason.

_Sakaguchi Nagisa-_ A Seigaku student. Momoshiro's girlfriend.

_Tanikawa Hijiri_\- Seigaku's captain. First mentioned by Kurosugi in Chapter 10.

Also, I would like to address guest reviewer** mada mada**'s comment. While I certainly don't deny that I took inspiration from fyerigurl's 'To Catch a Falling Star', you seem to be suggesting that I am plagiarizing the content of her stories. That insinuation, frankly, insults me. Also, what's with that comment about Yukari being an OC? If you're following Shin TeniPuri, you would know that Shiraishi has a canon younger sister and I am using her as the main protagonist of my story. I do appreciate that you took the time to review, despite your anonymity, but I would've been more grateful if you'd stated exactly _where_ I should focus on to make my story better. That's the reason I encourage signed reviews, because it means you are brave enough to take responsibility for your words and back up your opinion.

Speaking of inspiration, the Romeo &amp; Juliet scene with the Oshitari cousins was inspired by a tumblr post I saw a while back. In it, Romeo and Benvolio were texting each other using modern-day lingo. Go figure.

Anyway, in case anyone is interested, I put up a link that would direct you to the 40.5 profile of the girls as well as a picture that sorta shows how I imagine them to look like. Just go to my profile page and voila!

Spread the love!

_roe2_


	12. Still Still Still

**chapter TWELVE: Still Still Still**

* * *

The steady thrum of her heartbeat spiked, the pre-match adrenaline starting to flow. Yukari got out of her bench and jogged in place, just a light activity to keep her loose. She checked the clock again, five more minutes. Yukari inhaled and exhaled, trying to get her nerves out of the way. A slight tilt of the head offered her a view of her opponent talking with a bunch of boys– the same boys from Seigaku she met just that afternoon.

"I can't believe it," Kikumaru muttered, shaking his head. "I can't believe our new friend will be Nagisa-chan's opponent. This is pretty sad!"

Oishi gave his doubles partner an amused look. "What were you expecting, Eiji? At some point, if they both advanced, they would have to face off against each other. Even if they didn't, then someone else would've eliminated them before they could get to play against each other."

"But isn't this a bit cruel?"

"Eiji, you have such a big heart." The vice-captain chuckled, ignoring the puzzled expression that made its way on the redhead's face. "We just met her and you already think of her as a friend. Not to mention, you're dreading on the outcome of this match." He patted the other boy's shoulder. "Loosen up a bit, okay?"

"Why does Oishi have to be the one to say something like that?" demanded Kikumaru as he crossed his arms , his levelheaded friend's soft laughter echoing behind him.

Momo, meanwhile, was less conflicted about who he would support.

"Nagisa, you've got this," he assured his girlfriend, putting his hand over hers. The girl stared at him expectantly , never blinking, never wanting to miss a thing. "What?" He brushed a stray strand of butterscotch hair from her forehead. " Want a goodluck kiss?"

Nagisa surprised everyone when she stood on tiptoes and planted a loving kiss on Momo's cheek, finishing with a feathery touch of her lips on his jaw. Stunned, the second-year could only stare at his girlfriend with his mouth wide open. Feeling people's eyes on him, Momo flushed red and wordlessly handed to Nagisa a wide teardrop head shaped racquet. This clear display of his embarrassment seemed to have delighted her, for she was giggling even when Momo trudged along to meet with his teammates.

Oishi had gasped with horrified eyes, but Kikumaru's response was to openly marvel, "Why, Nagisa-chan is so aggressive nya!"

Yukari, who was on the other side of the court, was uncomfortable with this public display of affection. While she admitted they were cute, she still couldn't get over the fact that Sakaguchi Nagisa was involved in a steady, romantic relationship. If there was one thing she remembered about this girl, it was that she was a recluse who almost became a _hikikomori_ back when she was still in Namba Jyogakuin.

What could have changed her?

As the umpire called for the two participants to march into court, Yukari thought she heard Nagisa say:

"What should I paint today?"

— ()—() —() —

"Those backswings are unsteady," Zaizen mentioned when Murasaki asked for his opinion regarding Yasutora's form. The fierce second-year who was practicing her volleys with Morando-san held a sour look on her face for reasons he would rather not find out.

Murasaki's amethyst eyes turned contemplative. "Something's wrong with her wrist. She keeps on touching her wrist band, and she's not hitting the ball sideways to ensure deeper shots and more accurate control."

The second year genius sensed his companion's anxiety. "I'm surprised this former pro didn't notice this."

Or maybe he had, but he just chose to keep an eye on Yasutora for the meantime. Anyway, it wasn't his business. But Murasaki, she was the kind who tended to be invested in someone else's issue even when there was no reason for her to go the extra mile. Yasutora and Murasaki aren't what Zaizen would even call _friends_ so why bother?

"Sometimes I wonder why you're always concerned about other people," Zaizen said slowly, an attempt to test the waters. "Why didn't boss Kurosugi pick you as vice-captain? You act more like it than Kise does."

Murasaki pursed her lips. "Kurosugi-buchou doesn't like me."

"Well, the feeling must be mutual," remarked Zaizen, sitting down on a chair to pull on his tennis shoes and tie the strings in double knots. "You follow her decisions, but I've seen you make that face whenever she says something you don't agree with." He lifted his head. "That bye Felicia face?"

"Who's Felicia?"

"Exactly." Zaizen stood up and checked his gear. "You worry too much about other people. Koishikawa-senpai might be able to beat you even with his eyes closed if you don't focus on yourself."

Murasaki graced his ears with a laugh, a light musical laugh which made him think of somerset meadows. "I swear, last year you said I was vain and this time you're implying I am being self-sacrificing. Make up your mind."

"You're both." He gave her a pointed look. "You're Shitenhouji."

— ()—() —() —

Yukari was relieved that she managed to hold on to her service game. For the time being, she would focus on delivering solid shots. Nothing too crazy, allowing the other girl to make the mistakes so she could win the following games. Her plan was to observe Nagisa, zero in on her opponent's strengths and weaknesses, and then draw up a more concrete plan of action. Anyway, she'll just wait and see. Chewing her inner cheek in contemplation, Yukari returned to the baseline with this strategy in mind.

It's been smooth sailing so far, so why does she feel so uneasy?

Across the court, Nagisa bounced the ball. She craned her neck up, gave Yukari a small, almost apologetic smile. Before Yukari could process what just happened, the ball had already been served to her court.

"15-Love!"

"Nice return ace, Nagisa-chan!" Momo cheered, clapping his hands as people stopped by to watch. "Do it again!"

"Do well, Shiraishi-san!" Oishi called out, earning him a chuckle from his doubles partner. "W-What? Did I do anything wrong?"

"A while ago you were calling me soft-hearted, but as it turns out, you and I are the same type after all!" Eiji declared proudly, crossing his arms over the back of his head.

Yukari was angry at herself, but she decided to let that point go. Nagisa served again, although this time Yukari was on stand by. She hit the ball with a strong flash shot to Nagisa's right court, but soon found herself chasing after a slow ball that came her way. Yukari struggled, hitting with a low slice that did not go over the net.

"30-Love!"

Even that proved to be ineffective.

The brunette paused to catch her breath, running down all the things she'd observed so far. First of all, Nagisa's serves weren't all that. It just so happened that she was unprepared for the first one. Next, her opponent did not seem to be the kind of player who made predictable moves. For example, it should be easier to return a fast ball with another fast ball, but instead she changed the pace and sent a slower ball back her way.

Definitely, that one threw off her timing.

Her data wasn't enough yet, though. Yukari nodded once, telling herself that it was perfectly fine to lose a game if that meant collecting as much information as she could about Nagisa in exchange.

A rally commenced. After hitting a high-arching ball, Yukari sprinted to the back. It was already too late when she realized that she made a costly miscalculation. Nagisa outsmarted Yukari by finishing the game with an unusual rising cross-shot.

"Woohoo!" Momo gripped the fence tightly. "You've got this, Nagisa-chan!"

Nagisa's dark amber eyes were bathed in equal parts pride and affection.

Yukari saw the look the two shared and wondered again what caused this transformation. Before the start of the next game, Yukari couldn't help but shake her head in astonishment. "You're different," she told the girl in a low, disbelieving voice.

Nagisa looked confused, but then her lips curled into a crooked, secretive smile. "I guess." Her mouth barely moved. "I'm more surprised you remember me though, Shiraishi-san."

'_How can I not?_' Yukari wanted to say back, but she found herself biting her tongue just in time. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt the other girl's feelings.

— ()—() —() —

"Good day."

"Good day."

Such was the standard greeting in this school. Modesty was prized here, with the girls dressed in conservative one-piece blue-green sateen dresses, the pleated skirts knee-length. Combine all this with the threefold white socks and the ballet-style leather shoes they were required to wear and you get a very traditional outfit, one that gives the image of cleanness and purity.

No wonder Namba Jyogakuin was sometimes mistakenly labelled as a Christian school.

The class president, despite smiling as she gave her greeting, looked quite distressed. Her brows were creased, and she constantly stuck her tongue out to moisten her chapped lips. All these things alerted Yukari that something was bothering her classmate.

"Is there anything wrong?" Yukari asked, wanting to offer her help.

"Shiraishi-san." The class president sighed, showing to her the attendance records. "Nagisa-chan has not shown up again. If this keeps up, our attendance rate would be a mess."

"Nagisa-chan?" Yukari searched her memory. "Ah, the one taking remedial classes this summer." A frown marred her lips. "But… Why is she not showing up? Doesn't she want to graduate? Her classmates have already gone ahead of her…"

"Yesterday, we went to her house." The class president's tone became somewhat conspiratorial. "And her mother told us that Nagisa-chan did not want to go back because she found school _stressful_. Stressful, she said!" She shook her head. "For all we know, Nagisa-chan became… became… " And then she stopped, as if she didn't have the heart to continue.

Yukari raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"A _hikikimori_."

"O-Oh." Yukari did not know how to react. The class president shut her eyes tight and formed a cross over her chest, her hands placed on her shoulders.

"What's wrong with that? Is it bad?"

"Of course!" Affronted, the class president pushed her oval-framed glasses to the bridge of her nose. "They isolate themselves in their room, that's the start. Soon they'll withdraw themselves from society and then what happens? She can evolve into a NEET, therefore becoming a scum of society."

Angered on behalf of Nagisa, Yukari found herself mouthing off, "Isn't that too harsh? Perhaps this school avoidance stemmed from something traumatic, like being bullied by her classmates!"

Of course, this was a speculation made by an imaginative Yukari. In reality, she did not wish to be proven right. These kinds of things weren't uncommon, but she had always believed that Namba Jyogakuin students were above all that. However, as she watched the class president's face turn sickly pale, she felt the metaphoric knife twisting deep into her back.

"It can't be…"

"W-What are you saying!" The class president snatched the attendance sheet, pulling back her arm so quickly Yukari thought it might've snapped. "Why did I even bother telling you about this? You don't know anything. Our seniors loved Nagisa-chan, see, why would they fondly call her 'Nagisa-chan' if they didn't think of her as a precious friend?"

Yukari couldn't accept that explanation, her sense of justice now on autopilot mode. "But iinchou—"

"Forget everything that we discussed." Grabbing a pile of books, the class president grandly headed towards the double doors. "Good day."

— ()—() —() —

"2-1!"

She'll never let Nagisa break her service game.

"2-2!"

Yukari gritted her teeth. How come Nagisa never revealed before that she was a more than competent tennis player?"

"3-2!"

Oh no, she could feel her legs giving up on her. She has to keep on finding a breakthrough…!

"3-3!"

Nagisa can't be stopped when it's her turn to serve.

— ()—() —() —

"Oneesan, why do keep on looking at Yasutora-chan?"

Hana gave her twin sister a sideways glance. They hardly kept secrets from each other, and this was no exception. "It's just that," she started, "I got into a quarrel with her just a while ago."

"With Yasutora-chan?" Kana quieted and fingered her fishtail braid. She noticed that the green dye on her tips was starting to fade. "What did she do?" she asked after a while has passed.

"You don't want to ask what _I _did?"

"Oneesan won't get angry for no reason," Kana seriously answered as she gave her sister a look full of trust and respect. Hana was again reminded how much Kana hero-worshipped her. She was no blind fish; she could see it, how Kana would gaze up at her like a sunflower following her sun.

'_That's right, dear sister, don't listen to anyone else. I'm everything you want and everything you need._'

"It's not a big deal," the older twin dryly replied, crossing her legs as well as crossing out the despicable thoughts in her head. "She said something stupid and I dealt with her in my own way."

Kana opened her mouth, then closed it before she could vocalize her own thoughts on the matter. She was a curious girl, but when it came to her own sister, she didn't bother with asking unnecessary questions. The two of them had a mental connection, that was what she believed. Every time she was with her twin, there was no reason to fill the silence with words.

For her sister was always in the right and never in the wrong.

"Game, Tooyama-kun, 5-4! Change courts."

"That looks like a heated match," Hana noted, standing up from where she sat and walking over to one of the hard courts. Kana followed her like a baby bird, viridian eyes concentrated on the two figures playing.

"Super great mountain smash!" Kintarou shouted, springing into the air and targeting his opponent's backhand.

Aoba exhaled through her teeth. A high-pitched cry escaped her lips as her return bit to the baseline. Kintarou's answering shot was intercepted by Aoba's volley, but Kintarou blitzed his way to get his racquet on it, aiming a drop-shot to catch the blue-haired girl off-guard.

In a bizarre turn of events, the ball was pulled away to Aoba's racquet's sweet spot, letting her hit to an open side of Kintarou's court.

Morando-san, serving as the umpire, pressed his lips into a thin line. "15-Love," he announced haltingly, sounding a tad bit mystified as well.

This startled Kana into a laugh. Turning to her sister, she wryly commented, "Wow. Wasn't that something? If I didn't know any better, I would say that looked awfully like that aggravating technique we've seen one player from Kanto use. Whatchamacall it again? The–"

"Tezuka Zone," Hana finished. She was now looking at Kurosugi, the gears of her mind turning. "I'm pretty sure Aoba could use the Tezuka Zone."

— ()—() —() —

"1-0! Game, Shiraishi. Change courts."

By now, a sizable crowd was gathered around them, watching their match with unconcealed interest. Though they supported neither of the two girls, the spectators collectively cheered every time a ball was returned or when someone won a point. Yukari found their presence encouraging, even though a small part of her was wishing for her brother to also be by her side.

"No time to think of that," Yukari mumbled. She'd wanted to start this game with an ace, and her serve should have been one. But Nagisa didn't make it easy for her. She'd anticipated where Yukari would serve and hit back the ball. _Hard_. It was fast and vicious and sharply angled. The brunette could do nothing as the ball went past her.

'_Calm down, calm down._' Yukari tried hard not to panic. Her serves were getting slower, and weaker. Her stamina sucked, even Murasaki took care to mention that. It was an unbearably hot day too, but in contrast to her sorry state, Nagisa wasn't as out of breath nor perspiring just as much. Sure, there were beads of sweat trailing down the side of her face, but that was about it.

What kind of gap did they have?!

...Oh crap. She can't be breaking down now, definitely not now.

(Because her greatest weakness, as Murasaki pointed out, was her mentality.)

"Out!" the line judge called after Yukari served, arm shooting out wide.

— ()—() —() —

"Shiraishi-san's not looking too hot out there," Oishi stated grimly, having seen people lose their footing once and then completely breaking down after failing to get it together in time. "This will be Nagisa's if she does not focus."

"Like I said, too cruel!" Eiji cried out, covering his eyes.

"But this is a match." Beside them, Momo forced a smile. "Someone's gotta emerge as the winner."

"Game, Sakaguchi! 5-4!"

"Ah, Nagisa-chan was too much for Shiraishi-san." Oishi's tone was sympathetic. There was a flicker of anxiety in his eyes as he kept his gaze at the Kansai girl. "I guess it can't be helped."

"Hmm, but even if Nagisa-chan is just playing around, this Shiraishi girl is both inexperienced and unlucky!"

Eiji jumped a step back, one arm hovering in the air to shield the lower half of his face. He calmed down when he caught the amused twinkle in the stranger's eye. "Nya! That really scared me! Don't do that ever again!"

The girl grinned in return, almost as if she was trying to say that she did not do anything wrong.

"Wait a minute," Oishi interrupted, stepping in between his doubles partner and the newcomer. "What do you mean by _unlucky_? I can see that Shiraishi-san makes a few beginner's mistakes and does not look totally comfortable on the courts, but what does luck have to do with it?"

"She probably means Nagisa-chan outclasses her," Momo supplied, though not in an unkind nor callous manner.

"Ding, you got it wrong!" The girl was laughing, eyes the spitting image of twin crescent moons. "But I'll give you half a point because Nagisa-chan_ is_ the better player of the two."

Oishi and the rest had no time to ask the girl how she came to knew Nagisa because she shoved to them a sketchbook which showed moving figures drawn in charcoal. The drawing was still unpolished, but the subtle gradations of tones in each area reflected technical skill that far surpasses an amateur's.

"Ah!" Eiji extended a finger out to one of the eyeless figures. "That looks like Nagisa-chan when she hit the lob! And this figure running to the baseline?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Shiraishi-chan, it's gotta be Shiraishi-chan!"

The girl clapped. "Wow, you have good eyes!"

"But why is Shiraishi-san unlucky?" Oishi asked again, unable to hide his curiosity.

"They're opposites," the girl answered simply. "Nagisa-chan's style of playing allows her to make unpredictable moves, while her opponent is following all the guidelines from a tennis textbook by the letter." She turned to the next page. "See that return crosscourt? Safe. Loop the arm, then swing. Her volley? Solid, even above average. But when she had to opportunity to engage in a volley battle, she retreated because it wasn't her service game and she was on the defensive."

"You mean..." Eiji bit his lip, comprehension darkening his features. "Shiraishi-chan is too cautious so she is losing points?"

"Pretty much," confirmed the girl, pointing at another sketch. "It's a basic play style, just one pattern among the infinite play styles that vary with time. You can even say that their styles are polar opposites of each other." She craned her neck and observed the ongoing match. "Another example, that shot she just did? It is a standard forehand in a closed stance."

"It's physically more difficult to return a cross ball with a straight than to return a straight ball with a cross," continued Momo, catching on. "I see. It's easy to predict what Shiraishi-chan would do next. While Nagisa-chan…"

"Is like the free-flowing waters of a steady mountain river," the girl breathed, staring at Nagisa with open admiration. Just as she said that, Nagisa raised her racquet and hit the ball in a manner not too unlike of a master painter blending the colors to gently transition from one color to the other.

Breathtaking.

"As much as I would love for Nagisa-chan to win, I feel bad for Shiraishi-chan," Eiji bleakly declared. Momo and Oishi nodded in agreement.

"Feel bad?" The girl gave them a strange look. "Didn't I tell you? She's not at full strength either. Let's not talk about other factors like mentality and physical condition. If she makes a few adjustments, perhaps lower her arm by 3 degrees when she's hitting a backhand for example..." The girl hastily sketched another figure, the charcoal smudging her fingers. "Then maybe, just maybe, she can achieve perfect tennis. Mind you, even years of mastering the basics won't get some people _that_ far. "

"Perfect tennis?" Seigaku's vice-captain repeated, remembering the name of one of the strongest singles player in the nation. Something clicked in his head. Come to think of it, didn't that guy hail from Kansai as well? And his name...

"Ah." Oishi blinked a couple of times. "In that case, they might be related."

— ()—() —() —

Letting herself out of the court, Aoba looked around. At Kurosugi-buchou and Kise-fukubuchou. At Watanabe-san and Morando-san. At her teammates. At everyone. Head hung low, she stumbled over to where her captain stood waiting.

"You lack stamina," Kurosugi pointed out, hardly giving her a glance.

Aoba flinched, but otherwise said nothing.

"That Tooyama Kintarou is not ordinary, even I know that. Still, you managed to take away a few games from him before reaching your limit. There's a lot of room for improvement, we'll just go over them during practice." Hesitantly, she patted the younger girl on the back. "Rest up, you deserve it."

Aoba did not nod, did not say anything, did not even move. Kurosugi peered at her from beneath her eyelashes, intending to ask if the Hokkaido genius wanted to say anything more. Aoba closed her eyes, swayed for a bit, and then slumped to the ground like a lifeless ragdolll, her right arm and leg bent beneath her.

A memory of the past flashed through Kurosugi's mind. For once hideous quarter of a second, her stick-thin body rose into that fevered pitch, hovered in that fork that demanded her to choose between an escape of desperation or a battle with guilt.

"Kurosugi-buchou!"

"Aoba-chan!"

The nearby Shitenhouji students, after witnessing what just happened, ran as fast as they could to offer help. Shiraishi, in particular, assumed control of the situation once he realized that Kurosugi was out of it, spaced-out and staring blankly at the unconscious freshman. As a member of the Health Committee, Shiraishi was no stranger to medical emergencies. With a firm voice, he turned to Kise and gave her an order. "Get the on-site nurse or physician, whichever you find first. On the double." He didn't even wait for confirmation. "Kurosugi, do you hear me? Position her on her back, elevate her legs by placing them on your lap. Bend her knees, bend her knee— Everyone, no! Don't crowd around Aoba! Give her room to breathe—"

In a cold sweat, Kurosugi knelt beside the blue-haired girl, eyes bloodshot. She couldn't hear what Shiraishi was telling her. Visions of quivering strings suddenly flooded her eyes. Kurosugi closed her mouth like a trap, but she felt it.

Felt the bile rising up her throat.

'_Fuu-chan, just stay out of this. It's between Shiraishi and Yuni-chan!_'

The next thing she knew, she was hurling out the contents of her stomach next to the unconscious figure of Aoba, her hands cramped up into claws as her fingernails dug into the ground. Inside she was crashing like the bottom of a waterfall. Her whole body felt heavy, so heavy...

"Oi! Fuu-chan!"

Why didn't she fall instead of Matsuura?

— ()—() —() —

Oshitari Eiji's charity birthday bash was to be held on the south lawn this year. Or at least, that was what the butler last told Kenya before he was whisked away to try on a semi-formal suit.

While changing, Kenya thought of how the south lawn was the perfect spot for an outdoor fête– level ground, a decent view of the Yamanakako lake, and a large patio with plenty of seating for the less energetic. Unfortunately, his aunt and uncle failed to take into account the weather. The summer heat was dry, with no humidity, like being in a sauna… or a desert.

"And so we are forced to use this small and poorly decorated ballroom instead," Yuushi explained, smiling that half-smile of his. He claimed he did that because it made him seem 'romantically enigmatic,' but the Speed Star was 99.9% sure it was actually because he was worried about displaying his slightly uneven teeth. Quickly, Kenya grabbed a spoon and grinned at his reflection. At least his teeth looked _a lot_ better than Yuushi's.

But the girls weren't paying attention to him, and were instead busy assuring Yuushi that the party would still be a success, whether it was staged indoors or outdoors.

"By the way, Oshitari-san is sure to follow in his father's footsteps, right?" One girl gushed, the ostrich feathers on her ridiculously coiffed hair bobbing up and down as she leant close to Yuushi. "Oooh! Then definitely, you would study in Tokyo University, isn't that so!"

Yuushi became visibly stiff, but managed to expertly maintain his cool, neutral expression. Kenya coughed, then pulled his cousin's arm. At the girls' protest, he found himself saying, "Sorry ladies, old man Morikaoka wants to have a word with his favorite student."

The girls looked confused by the pathetic excuse, and they had the right to be. Kenya did not even know if there was such a person as a Morikaoka in the room, and even if there was, it didn't matter. Once the two were settled in the least crowded area of the ballroom, Kenya turned to Yuushi just in time to see his cousin regarding him squarely.

"What?"

"I could have handled that one myself."

Of course he could. Kenya had faith that his cousin would know how to direct the topic elsewhere, but... He looked sad, Yuushi did.

Looking at Yuushi sometimes made Kenya wonder if there was another world where the rules were different and he was the one shackled instead. He never had to experience living a life with everything planned out even before he was born– private schools and upper echelon society meetings and even careers hand-selected by 'well-meaning' parents who wish to keep their elite and prestigious standing in society.

Erina-nee and Yuushi had to live like that and look where that got them. One developed a habit of closing his heart while the other became a notorious figure in gossip circles for her drunken escapades. Oshitari Eiji may have hated his son, but Kenya privately thought his father was smart enough to get disinherited. Anyway, it was his uncle who was more interested in business and keeping their 'image'.

Nose pointed high up in the air, Yuushi continued, "Well, it is not like I do not appreciate your concern. Do behave better next time though, please."

"God, don't do that snobby rich kid thing," Kenya grumbled, half to himself but loud enough to provoke interest. He reached for a plate. "It makes you look like that self-absorbed captain of yours."

"Who, if I may ask, are you calling _self-absorbed_?"

Kenya spun around. Standing behind them was a young man who happened to look about his and Yuushi's age, with gorgeous blue eyes sort of shimmering in a pool of dark lashes. A strand of his thick, grey hair fell over one eye. He wore an expensive-looking dark pinstripe suit, but Kenya sensed that even if he was wearing a simple white polo shirt, he could still command the attention of everyone in the room.

'_Atobe Keigo!_' Kenya recognized at once.

Now, the members of Shitenhouji's tennis club had various and differing opinions regarding the infamous heir to one of the most powerful corporations in Asia. Shiraishi acknowledged Atobe as a strong captain, but that was hardly news, considering Shiraishi rarely thought badly of anyone anyway. While Koishikawa admired the Hyoutei captain's domineering personality and unrivaled charisma, Gin was instead dismissive of Atobe's 'worldly ways' and considered him far too pretentious for his own good. Koharu wanted to know how it would feel to be 'captured' in Atobe's arms, which immediately led to Yuuji declaring that Atobe was The Root of All Evil. Zaizen off-handedly remarked once that he would love to stuff all of Atobe's money in his mouth if given the chance (Kenya couldn't tell whether the second-year was being sarcastic) while Chitose… Well. No one really knew what goes on in that mind of his.

But Kenya. Oh, at times Kenya thought he was friends with the Hyoutei diva too. His cousin would always mention at least one outrageous act his captain did every time they talked on the phone.

"_What do you think of purple? Atobe painted our court purple just this morning."_

_'_My dear captain gifted each of us a chinchilla just because he felt like it."__

'_Today's adventure mostly centers around the ice sculpture fashioned after Atobe's likeness...'_

Etcetera, etcetera.

In short, Kenya thought of Atobe as just another boy, not really considering him as anyone special. Which explained his whole casual greeting of:

"Yo, my cousin's captain."

Atobe raised nothing more than his eyebrows, and those only a fraction of an inch. He glanced at the egg salad sandwich on Kenya's plate, then back up at him, the order of which the latter did not find complimentary. He _usually_ rated above egg salad.

"This must be your favorite cousin," drawled Atobe after appraising Kenya. He sounded more amused than anything.

"Don't say that to him," hissed Yuushi, shooting Atobe an exasperated look. "He might get ideas in his head—"

"He-llo!" Kenya waved his hands. "I'm right here."

But he must have faded into the background already, for Atobe and Oshitari continued discussing things only Hyoutei students enthusiastically discussed.

"Stop cajoling her, Oshitari! This delusional girl is already obsessed with the idea of the two of us getting together."

"What a pickle. Hmm, then maybe I should tell our dear Tsukushi that _your_ obsession is actually Tezuka Kunimit—"

**"Don't. You. Dare.**"

Kenya sighed. Dimly, he wondered how Yukari was faring. He wasn't expecting anything from her, not when she had less than half a year of tennis experience under her belt. Still, it would be nice if she won at least a round. Tennis had an exhilarating way of pumping you up especially when you're on the winning side.

And then Kenya realized with a jolt that he was stupid, because she might have texted him or something and he forgot to charge his phone because he kept getting distracted and—

"Okay, lemme see if I can call her." Kenya said to himself as he sneaked out of the ballroom.

— ()—() —() —

The match ended in an anticlimactic fashion.

A cold numbness had settled upon Yukari, and it took every ounce of her fortitude to maintain her placid expression. She wanted to look accepting of the decision, but she was worried her face was easy to read. Her sister had always told her that she'd be terrible at poker and, quite frankly, Yukari knew her older sister was right.

"Good game," she said as evenly as she could while she shook Nagisa's hand.

Nagisa was all smiles. She gave Yukari a breathy "thank you" before heading off to rejoin her friends.

The onlookers clapped at them both, and this made Yukari's heart feel a little bit lighter. She caught the eye of an unfamiliar girl with black smudges on her face, a sketchbook tucked underneath her arm. Her look was speculative; she could almost hear the gears clicking and snapping in her mind. Yukari even thought the girl waved at her, but when she blinked, the girl was already gone.

Hopefully, that girl wasn't… a ghost. (She was deathly afraid of the supernatural.)

Yukari fixed her things, one hand digging deep to find her phone. She didn't have a watch with her and relied on her phone to keep track of time. The brunette was going through the phone messages when she felt her phone vibrate.

"Hey, Yukari-chan!" It was Kenya, voice full of cheer. "I tried calling Shiraishi a while ago, but he wouldn't answer. Anyway, might as well ask you how you're doing in the tournament."

Yukari deflated. "W-Well. That is…" She coughed, suppressing the urge to recall the mortification that coursed through her veins the minute the official winner was announced. "I just finished Round 3."

"Wow, that sounds awesome." The voice on the other line paused. "Wait, you don't sound happy. Did you—"

"I should have lost," bitterly admitted Yukari, biting the bottom of her lower lip. "My opponent only needed to score a point to wrap up the set and win the match." She drew a shaky breath. "But she didn't. She stopped playing, then dropped out of the match because of a personal reason. I was only declared as the winner by default."

"Yukari—"

"I hate this ugly victory!" cried out the brunette, throwing her racquet on the ground. She instantly regretted her action when she saw a few passersby throwing cautious looks in her direction.

After a long period of respectful silence, Kenya commented, "They say winners take all. But… I've always wondered what it meant."

"...Senpai?"

"I think you should consider this as a Pyrrhic victory." He must have heard her gasp, because he chided almost immediately, "Hey! I know these sorts of things too! We recently studied about it in World History and it means—"

"A victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat," Yukari recited word-for-word, grinning before she could stop herself. "But senpai, is that supposed to make me feel better? If it is, it's pretty lame."

"Well." A cough. "Yes. I mean—" His voice became a whisper. "Don't you feel better?"

"Not really."

A groan from the other line. "And I consider myself a Shitenhouji student. Can't even make a girl laugh!"

But Yukari almost did. She just stopped herself because she didn't want him to hear her.

"All jokes aside, you made it this far so I don't think you have anything to be ashamed of," Kenya reminded, tone gentle and brotherly. "I'm not sure why your opponent did what she did, but there's nothing you can do about it you know? You're not proud you didn't do your best, I get that. I understand that, it happened to me a couple of times too. Just channel that frustration into productivity, and then slay that next round."

Yukari swore Kenya could _hear_ her smile. " Wow senpai, you give some really interesting pep talks. You sound like that guy who makes important announcements over the interco—"

"I _am_ that guy!" The Speed Star exclaimed, startling Yukari for moment. "You didn't even know I'm part of the Broadcast Committee? When everyone says they love my voice?"

"I've always been under the impression that they liked _my_ brother's better."

"Hah." She heard him snort. "That's a biased opinion, and you know it."

When the phone call ended, Yukari looked up to see that she was in her next assigned court already. Her opponent was finished with her warm-ups, so she hurried to pull her racquet out and get this game done and over with.

"Channel that frustration, huh?" Yukari whispered to herself before the umpire called for her to start the match.

— ()—() —() —

The sun lingered late that day.

Yuni looked up from her sudoku workbook, the corners of her lips turning up into a content smile. Watching the sun set from her window was almost a custom by now. There was something comforting about witnessing such a majestic beauty, as if one was intimately saying 'good bye' to a dear friend.

"Yuni!" Her mother called out from downstairs. "Hyunmin-san is here!"

"I'm coming!" Yuni rose from her chair. Just as she was about to leave her room, she felt something snag the hem of her pleated skirt. She whirled and heard the snap of breaking glass. It was too late when Yuni realized that her elbow might have struck the picture frame, causing it to fall. The wooden frame now lay on the ground surrounded by the broken glass that had once served as its facade.

Yuni gnawed on her thumb, feeling an awful tightness in her chest. Her hazel eyes widened as she picked up the picture and gave it a long, hard look. "Ah. This picture..."

The photograph contained a snapshot of Shitenhouji's famed Three Sages, all smiling at the camera.

* * *

**A/N:**

Before anything else, a few things to note:

_hikikomori - can be translated as "withdrawal" and also refers to a person sequestered in his/her room for six months or longer with no social life beyond his/her home._

_NEET- Not in Education, Employment, or Training._

_iinchou- "class representative"_

Phew! Quite a long chapter once more to make up for the lack of updates. I'm trying my best to follow the 'show, don't tell' rule, but I am finding it hard to do so. There are some scenes I wish I could've written better to allow at least three different interpretations... but I suppose that is too ambitious of me.

By the way, just a quick survey: If I were to write a multi-chapter spin-off starring Suou Tsukushi and her quest to lead a life surrounded by devastatingly handsome men engaged in homoerotic relationships (coughHyouteiRegularscough), would _you_ be interested in reading that? It'll be very lighthearted, and might clock in at about 2-3K words per chapter.

Anyway, thanks again for the reviews, faves, and follows! You guys give me strength!

_roe2_

**Edit:** A reviewer commented that the surname 'Im' is impossible in Japanese. I acknowledge that, and I am terribly sorry to confuse the readers because "Im" is actually a Korean surname. In fact, Yuni was named after Im Yoona, a member of the popular Korean idol group called Girl's Generation (소녀시대/So Nyeo Shi Dae). Yuni's birth name, as some readers may already know, is Akagawa Yuni. She took on a Korean surname some time between her second and third year of highschool. I hope that helps clear it up!


	13. The Consequence of Incompetence

**chapter THIRTEEN: The Consequence of Incompetence **

* * *

**:: Monday ::  
**

* * *

The brunette leaned against the fence of the practice courts, trying to steady her breath, her eyes catching the sun rising over the horizon on the east. A perfect moment, the kind you see in movie montages where the athletes are training hard for the upcoming tournament or a big game. Yukari smiled to herself and imagined the scene.

If it were an energy drink commercial, how would she have acted it out? First, she'd wipe the sweat off her forehead. Then, she'd reach out and grab a water bottle. She'd take a long sip before showing an exaggerated reaction. A laundry list of the energy drink's 'refreshing' qualities would then follow.

"VitaWater, for a boost of energy!"

An appreciative whistle jolted her out of her daydream. In embarrassment, Yukari almost threw away the water bottle, but she relaxed once she sighted and recognized the approaching figure. Giving a self-conscious laugh, she called out, "Chitose-senpai! Off to get lost in your thoughts in our courts again?"

"You betcha." The giant walked around in circles, as if finding a spot. "You don't mind, do you, keykeeper-chan?"

Yukari was used to Chitose by now, so she shook her head and headed to the direction of the changing room. Just before she could exit the courts, she heard Chitose call her back. Surprised, she casted him a glance out of the corner of her eye.

Chitose appeared as relaxed as always, but something about the set of his mouth alerted Yukari that his mind was a bit more preoccupied than usual.

"Senpai, is there any prob—"

"Good job last weekend."

Yukari did a complete 360, completely taken aback. Her mind tried to process what she just heard.

"Sometimes I just know things," he revealed cryptically, apparently reading her mind. "No, perhaps it is much more believable to say that I'm very good at guessing what happened and what will happen." His dark eyes lightened upon her, mesmerizing in their mysterious intensity.

"That's amazing." Yukari furrowed her brows, making it clear that she wasn't convinced. "Aside from Murasaki-senpai, Kenya-senpai and my brother, no one knows I participated in a tournament." So really, no one can blame her for being mystified at how he managed to get his information.

Chitose was quiet. Just when Yukari thought that their strange conversation was finished, he sat himself up, then stared at his open palm. "If you hurt a precious friend through tennis, would you let the guilt eat you from the inside?" His hand tightened into a fist. "Or would you take matters into your own hands and risk everything to make it up to your friend?"

Nothing about this hypothetical situation made Yukari sympathetic, although she wanted to be. The hollowness in Chitose's tone _did_ sway her into wanting to ask more questions, but before she could, Chitose shook his head and laid his head down on the hard ground again.

"If it's you Shiraishi siblings, I guess you'll force open another path..."

It took a moment before Chitose's words sank in, and when it did she frowned. Whatever it was he was getting at, she couldn't manage to understand. Even so, she wasn't annoyed at Chitose, no. If anything, she was curious to know if this was one of her upperclassman's idiosyncrasies and if he regularly did this to mess with everyone else's minds as well.

— ()—() —() —

"We're dead."

Kise looked absolutely petrified at the team huddle as the Shitenhouji girls gathered around before the opening match of the Kansai Tournament. But she wasn't the only one to be showing shock at the unexpected turn of events: all of the girls looked distracted one way or another.

Upon hearing Kise's pessimism, Murasaki lightly rapped the blonde's head with her knuckle without hesitation.

"Stop that," she chided. "You're our vice-captain, so show some spirit."

Suddenly transformed, Kise was back to the cheery girl everyone knew. "Haha! Of course, of course! Come on, I was just acting! And we're not gonna be dead, we'll do just fine."

"Will we?" Honda Ayumi, one of the sub-regulars, asked with raised eyebrows. She was looking at Murasaki, the pretty second-year who was easily the voice of reason within their team. "With Aoba-chan probably out of commission, and Yasutora-senpai with an injury?" she probed.

"About that—"

"And what about Kurosugi-senpai?!" Ito Sumire burst into a bout of abrupt anger. "Watanabe-san only recommended for her to step down as captain, but where is she now?" The second-year gritted her teeth. "I get it, her pride was hurt. So she'd rather save face than admit she was wrong, isn't that right?"

Kise stepped forward and placed her hands on the girl's shaking shoulder. "Now, now. I'm sure she has a plan. Maybe her dog died and she needed a day to grieve. Or maybe she's being chased out of her house because of tax collectors, you know those greedy little shits."

As Kise attempted to console the girls, Murasaki took this time to glance at the twins. They were stony-faced, staring ahead with a bland expression. Lips curling into a small, almost vindicated smile, Murasaki thought, '_The girl you'll follow to the ends of the earth, where is she now? In the end, she didn't consider your feelings too_.'

"Anyway," Kise blew the strands of blonde hair covering her eyes, "we get a bye in the first round, remember? We won't play for realsies until Friday."

"Yes, fukubuchou," the girls all responded. Not that Kise's words had any effect. If anything, they began to look more desolate.

Friday was only four days away.

The countdown begins.

— ()—() —() —

"Kurosugi-senpai was temporarily stripped away of captaincy, and now she won't even show up in school?!"

Yukari could only stare in wide-eyed shock at her brother, who had dropped the momentous news as if he was just discussing the weather. The entourage of third-year regulars stood leaning against the rooftop railings, all of them with a drink of some sort in hand.

"Looks like a lot has happened during the weekend clinic," Kenya muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Yukari, holding her brother's lunchbox, was obviously distressed. "N-No one told me anything." She closed her eyes and mentally slapped herself. "That's wrong. I...I should have noticed it. Or rather, I did notice that something was off, but I brushed it off thinking I was merely imagining things." Looking back, it was like there was a dark cloud looming over the team before they headed off to Kanmuri that morning. And Chitose, was he also hinting something? "To think that this would happen..."

Koishikawa raised his head so his words could be heard clearly, "Was Aoba-chan present in class today?"

The brunette paused, then slowly shook her head.

Kenya, having finished his drink, crushed the bottle with one hand and asked the question that had been burning in most of the other students' minds. "What do you think are the chances of our team winning without Kurosugi, Aoba and even Yasutora?"

"It's not something we should be worried about..." Yuuji answered, averting eye contact with both Shiraishis.

Shiraishi took another sip of his beverage before giving his teammates an indecipherable look. Finally, he said, "They'll cross the bridge when they get there. Besides, they're not _that_ weak. With or without Kurosugi, they are still Shitenhouji."

"I'm with my brother on this one," Yukari declared, bobbing her head in agreement. "It will be fatal to underestimate us.".

Shiraishi clapped a hand on her shoulder."Since when did you become so attached to the tennis team?" he teased.

Yukari stuck a tongue out before handing to her brother his lunchbox. She shared a brief, knowing look with a certain Naniwa Speed Star before she made her exit. Sure she was gone, the group lapsed into an uncomfortable lull. For a few minutes there was nothing but silent reflection and the sound of uneasy drink-sipping, no one able to think of anything more to say.

They've always been quite a chatty group so this was very unusual for them, to say the least.

"So," Gin tried after enough time had passed for the atmosphere to be painfully oppressive.

"So," Koishikawa agreed. No one picked up on their line of thought.

Mission aborted; silence followed once more. This wasn't how things were done in Shitenhouji, so it got even more uncomfortable.

"Yuni-chan..."

Everyone snapped their heads towards Gin's direction. It was clear that they were ready to leap onto the subject to destroy the awkwardness in the air.

Gin, a bit taken aback, coughed once. "Well, I'm not sure if it should mean something. Kurosugi was supposedly absent today, right?" When the others nodded, he continued, "That's something I find strange. Earlier this morning, I witnessed her talking to Yuni-chan."

This revelation was enough to make Koharu wrinkle his nose in distaste. "How dare she come talk to her! As if Yuni hasn't made herself clear enough that she hates that conniving she-wolf!"

Yuuji punched his palm. "It's all clear now! She'll leave her team just as she had done last year!"

"But... It can't be..." At a loss for words, Kenya momentarily stared at the the sky and focused on a high cloud, round and perfect. "Sure Kurosugi has her own faults, but after Yuni-chan told her to stay away, she'd always respected that wish..."

Shiraishi clenched his jaw, falling silent. It might just be his emotions getting the better of him, but the Shitenhouji captain suddenly felt a strange pang of fear for the two girls.

Should he talk to Yuni? Or confront Kurosugi first?

He was in a dilemma. Right now, he felt like all of his regrets had been in a saltshaker, tapped out a little at a time. And now that it had come to this, there was the risk that everything will be poured out at once.

'_Stop playing the saint when you're indirectly responsible for all of this!_'

Not again. No matter what, he shouldn't be involved.

Shiraishi looked at his left little finger and recalled his promise.

* * *

**:: Tuesday ::  
**

* * *

"… Are you sure?" asked Honda Ayumi carefully.

Kise raised her arms and crossed them behind her head. "When have I ever not been sure?" Her normally light, easy sense of humor came off a little forced, but the girl appreciated it nonetheless. "Senpai, you know how we work. Those who come will be welcomed," she looked intently at the third year, then went on, "but those who leave will not be pursued."

"I know," said Ayumi. In truth, she'd meant to feign offense, meant to say, '_Hey, I spent two years trying to get into the club you know!_' In the end though, no words left her mouth. There was nothing else to say in this situation.

Something in the girls' tennis team was not quite right. Had _never _been right ever since the departure of two of the Three Sages. Ayumi steered clear of club politics, but it was evident that there was tension involved between Kurosugi and Murasaki. Their dislike for each other is practically an open secret. As for Kise, she may be serving as the team's vice-captain, but she's also Murasaki's best friend as well as her staunchest supporter. Even when she tries to play the role of a neutral party, there are inadvertently times when she'd take Murasaki's side.

(That's not even taking into consideration her duplicitous personality, the way you never know if what she was showing was the real her, or the her you _expected_ to see.)

The balance shifted last weekend. Kurosugi snapped and suffered a mental breakdown after Aoba's fainting incident. Anyone with two eyes can see that their captain favored the Hokkaido genius out of all of them, even going as far as to encourage her to master a difficult technique in a moment's notice. No doubt about it, she felt guilty for overworking the poor girl. So for their captain to be deeply affected by what happened to the promising first-year...

Maybe Ayumi should revise her opinion on her.

"And so?"

Kise's voice interrupted Ayumi's pondering. Electric blue eyes were fixed on her, waiting for an answer. A rather big lump was stuck in her throat, but she had to get it out. "Tennis... isn't really as fun as it should be. It's not how _I_ want it to be." Ayumi's accompanying smile was tinged with nostalgia. "I'll be handing my resignation form tomorrow afternoon."

'_This is it._'

"Sure, whatever," was all the bespectacled vice-captain said. "So that means you're the 14th member to quit since June."

It was meant to guilt-trip her, but she didn't flinch. "Well, I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Kise-chan."

Kise-chan.

_No_t fukubuchou. Not anymore.

— ()—() —() —

Yukari's scowl deepened, displeased at the lack of response. If she attempted to ask either Kise or Murasaki, she had the suspicion that they would only be dismissive. The twins make her nervous for some reason, while Koharu can straight up freak her out. As for her brother, he won't be of much help since he already made it clear that he didn't like it that she was meddling with other people's personal affairs.

No other option.

"Why can't you tell me?" She nudged the young man's arm with an elbow. "Kuuchan told me what happened over the weekend, but there's still so much secrecy going on." Her tone went dark. "And knowing my brother, he won't divulge anything if he's deadset on keeping it a secret."

Kenya's voice was surprisingly quiet and even-keeled. "Even if you ask me, there's not a lot I can tell you."

The girl opened her mouth to say something, but seeing the look Kenya wore, she changed her mind. He probably was telling the truth.

Over the weekend, they've managed to bond together over their shared love for amusement parks, amongst other things. They'd even argued about his fashion choices, with Shouta suggesting that they stage an intervention before his brother became the backup dancer of a certain Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

Man, that was a riot.

During their time together, they've probably loosened up enough to become comfortable with each other despite their less-than-ideal first meeting in school. And as Yukari observed, Kenya was usually so chill and easygoing. The way he was right now, lips tightly sealed and so careful with his words... It only strengthened Yukari's resolve to find out the truth.

"The girl we saw last time, Yuni-senpai was it?" She saw him stiffen. "What happened between her and buchou?"

Kenya's aquamarine eyes darted to the left. Seeing this, Yukari grabbed his hands and pressed her fingers on his wrist, digging her nails to his skin. "Don't think of a lie!"

"AAAAWWWW!" The Speed Star withdrew his hand and shook them vigorously. His jaw hinged up and down, then finally emitted sound. He yelled, "The hell was that for?!"

"Just a while ago, you were trying to come up with an excuse just to say something, weren't you?"

"Don't be stupid." The boy backed away when Yukari took another step forward. "Or maybe I was. But even so..." He pointed at her with his index finger. "How come you have so much strength?! Were you raised by mountain gorillas?"

Yukari's eyes sparkled. "Occasionally I practice the wrestling moves I see on TV on Kuuchan." One of her eyebrows twitched. "But that's irrelevant!"

"It isn't when you might be delivering some German suplex next time."

"I'll play nice if you'll be cooperative," the brunette promised in a sickly saccharine voice, holding up a hand and thumping it over her chest. "_Pro_-_mise_!"

Kenya studied the girl. A little familiar with the younger Shriaishi's personality by now, he was 99.9% sure that Yukari won't let him off the hook unless she found out what she wanted. He considered bolting away –why not, when he could do it?– but when he lowered his gaze and found large, brown eyes staring expectantly up at him, his resolve crumbled.

How could he have said no?

With a defeated sigh, Kenya finally relented. "Have it your way," he extended his arm, "but promise me that you won't squeal to anyone that I was the one who told you."

"Deal." Yukari shook his larger hand, eager to get to the bottom of things.

"Alright, but as a disclaimer, my memory's unreliable and I don't know if some parts are true or not so you'll have to decide for yourself what you want to believe." Kenya coughed for effect. "With that out of the way..."

* * *

**:: Wednesday ::  
**

* * *

She approached her as one must approach a wounded animal in the wild: slowly, cautiously. It made little difference. The wolf child looked up at once at her arrival, eyes dark and cloudy.

"So you agree?"

Yuni smiled sunnily. "Nope." The girl glared at her, but she showed no outward change in expression. She may look meek, but not anyone can convince her to do something she didn't want to. "Give it up," Yuni suggested. "No matter what you do, I won't play with you."

Kurosugi stood up from where she sat. In a chilling tone, she proclaimed, "You eventually will."

The auburn haired girl felt Kurosugi's gaze, imploring but at the same time dangerous, clinging to her back as she entered the car. She laughed, bitterly wondering how long she can delay the inevitable.

— ()—() —() —

The members stepped through the opening in the fence, Zaizen trailing leisurely behind and a certain wild, redheaded freshman notably missing. The other team was already at the courts, stretching and practicing serves before the start of their match.

Shiraishi looked around and found a tennis player he recognized. He tried to smile, but ended up keeping a neutral expression when the boy made his approach, a girl following right behind him.

"Soubu's Ichiji Enma," he said, eyeing the boy with the sleek, pale turquoise strands held back in a low ponytail. "Your match has already finished?"

Enma broad grin showed off his pointed molars. "Hey yo, lookit." He leant down as he pointed to the bandage-armed captain. "Shitenhouji's famous Bible Shiraishi."

The girl with him tilted her head to give Shiraishi a coquettish look. She wore a typical schoolgirl uniform, except the skirt was at her thighs and the collared shirt was unbuttoned slightly to show her cleavage. Her manner of clothing made some of the boys stare. As if to show ownership, Enma snaked an arm around the girl's waist.

"Congratulations on passing the second round," Shiraishi mentioned, remembering the updated tournament results he saw a few minutes prior. "Soubu's doing well."

"Was that meant to be sarcasm?" Enma did not bother to hide the edge in his voice. "Because we're wild cards?"

"Calm down, you hotheaded sharkie." A hand reached out to pinch Enma's ear. The girl with the horribly dyed magenta hair cocked her head around to stare once more at the guarded Shitenhouji players. "You must forgive him, he's always like that." A haughty smile formed on her face. "Although you can't argue that just because we're wild cards doesn't mean we don't have a chance at the title."

"Nothing's set in stone."

"Yes, of course." Suddenly, her eyes flashed with wickedness "But what about Shitenhouji's girls' team?" she inquired, tone flat but irritatingly pleasant given the topic. "Last Monday, we didn't see Kurosugi with them. Maybe she was just sick?" The girl tilted her head. "Lucky for her, you had a bye."

"Ooh, I wanna claw her eyes out!" Steam was practically coming out of Koharu's ears. He wasn't angered on the behalf of Kurosugi; rather, he felt pricked because she was belittling their school.

"Oi Karin." Enma tightened his grip on his lover. "These stiffs keep giving us stink eyes. Seems we overstayed our welcome."

The other members of Shitenhouji looked at the two with matching disapproving expressions. This served to delight Karin, prompting her to trace the outlines of Enma's jaw with a well-manicured finger. Her action distracted even the other team using the court.

"Hey," a voice called out, "since you don't wanna get a room, can you at least face over here?"

Karin wilted on the spot, the easy smile she wore peeling off her hardened countenance. Zaizen, keeping an indifferent mask on his face, held his phone up and seemed to be recording everything that was happening. The corners of her mouth twitching, Karin strode forward in an attempt to snatch the mobile device. Anticipating this move, Zaizen hopped back and placed himself in between Shiraishi and Gin.

Karin looked ready to spill blood. "YOU BRAT!"

"What, show's over already?" Zaizen dryly returned, glossing over the girl's outburst. "And the livestream was just beginning to pick up more people, tsk."

Immediately, Enma covered his girlfriend with his jersey. The two slanted death glares round Zaizen's way before they took off like scalded cats. Their hurried retreat thankfully broke the thick tension hanging around the courts. The other team gave Zaizen grateful looks.

"Our Zaizen was so princely~" Yuuji complimented aloud, looping an arm around the second-year.

"Get off me!" Shitenhouji's tensai screamed in protest, sandwiched in between the comedy pair who were busy giving him slobbery smooches. "Gross! Ugh!"

Not minding what was going on behind them, Koishikawa approached his captain. "Those guys are trouble," he quipped.

"That may be," Shiraishi agreed, a dash of disconcertment briefly flashing across his eyes. "But for now, they're not our trouble to deal with."

— ()—() —() —

Brightly colored folders, normally stacked neatly on the desk, were scattered on the shiny wood floor, their contents strewn around them. Kise rested her head on the table, completely exhausted.

"Shit, shit, shit."

Murasaki, filling out some of the paperwork for her friend, shot her a reproachful look. "Language."

"Shoot, shoot, shoot."

"Marginally better," Murasaki sniffed, signing the document with a flourish. She opened another folder and sighed. "The Kansai tournament," she brought up. "We need to think of the lineup."

"With 30 current active members, you'd think that would be easy," Kise remarked tiredly, taking off her red-rimmed glasses and rubbing her eyes. "But our mighty boss ran away with her tail behind her legs, leaving a mess on our hands. As if that's not all, Yasutoracchi's sprain would take 2 weeks to heal at minimum, and we don't even know yet if we can get a physician's written consent to let Sacchin play." Her arms shot up to the sky. "Why must the heavens test us?"

"Hmm?" The former figure skated lifted her chin to face Kise, one brow up. "18?" she echoed. The corner of her mouth twitched, not quite making a frown, as if unsure how to react to this piece of information she got.

The blonde winced. "Honda-chan dropped the bomb that she'll be quitting after we got back from Kanmuri."

"I see." Murasaki kept her voice level. "I would've suggested that she be moved to S3, but that's not a viable option now." She tapped the desk. "Hamasaki Mio could take the position, but I doubt she's already over her humiliating defeat against Yasutora the last time they faced each other. If we send her in there, she'll have a meltdown."

"Hey." Kise's voice went two octaves lower, something she unconsciously did when she was serious. "What about our project?"

Murasaki did not pretend to miss the gleam in her friend's eyes. "Yukari was dead last during the rankings," she pointed out. "Yes, she has improved tremendously since then, but it's not that easy to stick her in the lineup for no reason at all. We can't just give her a place in the regulars without arousing suspicion of favoritism."

"Exactly, you should exercise fairness at all times."

Startled, the two inclined their heads towards the direction of the third voice, intending to catch sight of its owner. There Midoriyama Hana was, casually sitting on the window ledge with her legs crossed over. She gave a lazy salute, her expression suggesting that catching them off-guard was no big deal– at least to her it wasn't.

"You sneaky kunoichi..." Kise said this without malice, only with a touch of awe to her tone. "Have you been here for long?"

She shrugged. "Long enough."

Murasaki did not raise anymore questions, preferring to cut to the chase. "We're making decisions for the best of the team," she informed as-a-matter-of-factly, her amethyst eyes engaged in a wordless battle with the pixie-like girl's bright viridian ones. "If you wish to contribute, feel free to throw an idea."

Hana lifted curled fingers to her chin. "As a matter of fact, I was just about to suggest something."

* * *

**:: Thursday ::  
**

* * *

Everyone appeared to be experiencing some sort mental anxiety as they lined up. Aoba has already recovered, but Osamu ordered for her to take it easy and tune up her passing shots with Kana at the court nearest to the boys' side.

Yukari wasn't what people would call observant, but once or twice she could pick up cues and play connect the dots. Their team adviser looked more haggard than ever, his eyes unfocused and his beard left unshaven. There was something gruffer about his demeanor too, and if she had to take a stab in the dark, she could guess that Kurosugi's leaving affected him more than he let on.

Poor Osamu. He was only looking out for the best interest of the team.

From what she heard, Osamu was firm in his suggestion for Kurosugi to step down from her position. Their captain –or former captain, she mentally corrected herself– apparently did not respond as expected. She did not go into a violent rage. Nor did she break down crying, begging to be presented another chance. They said Aoba's fainting incident must've unhinged her, so she respectfully accepted the decision without much fuss.

What they did not anticipate, however, was her refusal to attend school after that whole affair.

'_Last year, people blamed her for everything bad that went down in the girls team. And if you've been listening, I know you can't say she's entirely clean._'

What Kenya relayed to her filled out so many blank spaces in her head. Finally, she could see a bit of light down the rabbit hole.

Why her brother would defend Kurosugi's decisions. Why the Shitenhouji students hate Kurosugi to some extent. Why Kurosugi took an immediate disliking to her, and why the history of the Three Sages was so important to the team.

Why Im Yuni, then Akagawa Yuni, left the club.

— ()—() —() —

A young couple found seats at a bare wooden table under a picture calendar of a Korean popstar. They were inside an all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue restaurant— the kind of place at which you pay a nominal amount for the opportunity to try to stuff as much prime roast beef and perfect rectangles of fat-striped steak as you can down your throat. When a waitress sauntered up to take their order, they asked for her to call the owner of the restaurant. A minute later, Im Nureha emerged from the kitchen, her long coffee brown hair neatly tied in a topknot fastened with gold clasps.

"What can I do for you?" asked the owner, her smile warm and motherly.

If it were any other day, the couple would've been more than happy to eat at at Ppalgan House. Basking in the restaurant's delicious recirculated air conditioning only sweetened the deal. This time, however, they were more than concerned.

The woman jerked a thumb towards the entryway. "Outside of your restaurant, there's a creepy girl standing next to your signboard. We didn't mind her the other day because she may have been waiting for a friend, but when we saw her again yesterday and today... " She suppressed a shiver. "This time, if you don't do anything to chase her off, she might turn away customers who aren't regulars."

"Ah." Nureha bit her lip, thoughtful. "A problem, yes. I'm terribly ashamed that the valued customers are the ones bringing this up."

"Nureha-san, do something about her," the man urged, putting down his glass of water on the table. "No need to call the police or anything, just tell her that her hanging out there would be bad for business."

"Of course."

Nureha sedately walked back to the kitchen, then climbed up the stairs which led to the second floor of the building. She rapped lightly on the door to her left. Hearing no response, she let herself in.

"Yuni."

"...Is she still there?"

The middle-aged woman let out a deep sigh, taking in the sight of her daughter lying down the canopied bed, almond-shaped hazel eyes fixed on a corner of the ceiling. "Take pity on her. You used to be so close. If she wants to talk, then do just that."

Yuni smiled, but it was a smile made of brittle glass. '_That would've been easy_,' she mused, '_if only I weren't a coward_.'

— ()—() —() —

"So you're the last one." With an audible click of her tongue, she spun her racquet with a flip of her wrist, extending it in Yukari's direction. "Do I need to repeat the rules?"

"Nah, I'm good." Yukari may have said this confidently, but her reply was more of a bluff.

Hana wanted to evaluate the members of the team who didn't get regular or reserve spots by using a 'shortcut' to quickly decide which player will be included for tomorrow's matches. Aside from Yukari and probably two other girls, the members who weren't part of the regular lineup carried dour looks on their faces. A couple of weeks ago they might've been thrilled by this chance, but given the situation in their club...

"I'm ready," announced Yukari, walking to her side of the court.

"Then it's on," Hana said, tossing her a ball. " You serve."

Yukari flounced to the baseline. If Hana was going to be stupid enough to give her the advantage right off the bat, who was she to complain? After a few bounces of the ball at her feet, Yukari coiled down, letting her body explode up and through the ball, sending a well-placed serve up and out to Hana's backhand side immediately. The kunoichi returned it well enough. Yukari saw the viridian-eyed girl smile as her return mimicked her serve, forcing her to the backhand as well.

It was the look of someone who knew her opponent's weakness.

"Point 1!" Kise stated, serving as the umpire.

Yukari took in a deep breath. Now that she was playing against Hana, she could finally understand why the Minami girls performed so lousily against the twins during Districts. Not only was Hana lightning quick, she even knew how to mask the sound of a ball bouncing down the court.

No wonder no one has scored a point against her yet.

The brunette served again. Hana crossed over even before the ball flew to her court. Compelling her shoulder to stay in, she fired a shot up the line and out of Yukari's reach for a winner. "Point 2," she mumbled, not even bothering to check for the shock on her opponent's face, instead pulling a ball from the hidden pocket inside the leg of her shorts and striding back to the service line.

"Senpai, you're really serious about this," Yukari noted breathily, stalking back to the baseline.

"Of course I should be." Hana rotated her right arm in large circles. "You only get 5 chances to score against me, but I can't let my guard down just because I underestimated you. Also," she looked up at the sky, at the dark clouds rising from the horizon promising heavy rain, "we need to get a move on." And then Hana gave her_ that_ look, that very same look which made her think of fairies the first time she laid eyes on the twins.

'_Midoriyama Hana_-s_enpai is quite the cunning one_,' she concluded.

Hana easily got Points 3 and 4, partly due to Yukari missing the timing of her returns. If she fails to get the next one, Kise would automatically give the spot to Hamasaki Mio-chan, the reserve who's been in an unfortunate slump lately.

'_As if I'll let this opportunity to get into the regulars slip away!_'

Yukari mentally motivated herself, leaping up once more to serve. Her serve was straight up the white T in the center of the court, which Hana had no problem returning at all. But once her racquet made contact with the ball, she heard a grunt from the other side. Thrown off guard, the strawberry blonde haired girl managed to send the ball to a defended side of the court.

"Thanks!" And with that, Yukari fired up a sharp return, aiming it at the baseline. Hana sensed what was going to happen and spun on her heel in one smooth motion, managing to reach the ball just in time. Again, Yukari made another strangled sound from the back of her throat. Too late did Hana realize that Yukari was waiting for this moment. Immediately, Yukari put a shot to the right, straight to the corner, bypassing a momentarily distracted Hana.

The kunoichi could hardly believe it. Only when Kise grinned and awarded the point to Yukari did she accept the conclusion of the match.

The former '47' in their club outplayed her.

"You scored against Hana-senpai," one girl exclaimed, voice shaking. "You did it, Yukari-chan! Congratulations!"

"Great job!"

Kise and Murasaki were pleased with the result. Definitely pleased. This way, not only did Yukari gain the trust and approval of the girls in their team, the outcome of the match also ensured that Yukari earned her place through just methods.

It was a gamble, but it wasn't the kind of gamble the two would make if they weren't confident in Yukari's abilities.

"Despite what Hana said, she was complacent," commented Murasaki softly from the sidelines, her amethyst eyes shining with unmistakable pride. "Even if she was a master of soundless tennis, most of the opponents she faced on court would've never resorted to making noises to serve as a cue of sorts. They had their dignities." A sweet, musical laugh bubbled from her throat. "Too bad, the Yukari she faced this afternoon wasn't the kind to be embarrassed about that. Yukari choosing to do this just when Hana was about to end their match only made Hana more certain of her victory, therefore giving Yukari the opening she needed."

"But that's not all," Kise continued. "Imouto-chan is growing at an alarming rate, that's for sure, but perhaps she's had the potential all along. You've seen it Mayuyu, seen how she sometimes hit the ball when she's completely focused. She doesn't over swing, and boy does she keep his head and eyes still. Kind of like..."

The both thought of the same player, the one who was faithful to the basics.

"Her brother," they said in synchrony, eyes meeting each other.

Back at the courts, the rest of the girls were offering words of congratulations to Yukari. She bashfully accepted their praises about her growth, insisting that anyone can improve as long as they worked hard and kept at it. As she shared pointers to one girl, Hana tapped her on the shoulder and gave her a meaningful look. Understanding what Hana wanted to say, Yukari followed the kunoichi until they ended up at the backboard wall where Kana and Aoba were currently doing drills.

"Oneechan!" Kana bounced to her feet and enthusiastically hugged her twin. "Everything went well?"

"I wouldn't say that..." the older of the kunoichi twins responded vaguely. A vein almost popped out of Yukari's temple when she heard the response. Just in time, she managed to control herself, because Hana would soon discuss a pressing, more important manner.

"For tomorrow, I think I'll be having Shiraishi-chan as my doubles partner instead."

— ()—() —() —

She advanced with leaps through the downpour, her head lowered and her features obscured by her thick auburn hair. The rain fell harder, and the wind rose, but the girl continued running, arms swinging by her sides. She stopped to catch her breath once she arrived at her destination. Parting her hair, she looked down at the dirty puddle on her feet.

The pavement, like a darkened mirror, reflected the guilt chaining her heart.

— ()—() —() —

What alerted Osamu was the unlocked apartment door, practically inviting intruders to barge in and take whatever they wanted. He sneaked inside, making sure to inspect the bolt and lock— they didn't look tampered at least. Adjusting his eyes to the darkness, Osamu looked around for any signs of struggle, eventually finding none. He wondered if he should switch the lights on, but if there truly was an intruder, it would just alert his presence.

Shuffling to the window, Osamu poked a finger between the blinds. Rain slithered down the windows, completing the foreboding atmosphere. It seemed they were closed as well.

The sound of thunder was then heard from the outside, heightening his tension.

Eyes alert and roving around his surroundings, Osamu continued on, walking on tiptoes to make as little noise as possible. The whole apartment was covered in darkness, but a door was left slightly ajar, brightening one part of the hallway with a slice of light. The tennis coach moved silently and peered through the crack, heart thrumming unpleasantly. With a frightened vigor, something that only adrenaline could provide, he pushed open the door.

"F-Fuu?!"

A wild, blue, bewildering flash of lightning streaked across the bathroom window.

The drenched, cowering girl on the tub turned to look at him with soulless eyes. By the stray, large drops which sprayed lightly on her skin, Osamu could tell that the water was deathly cold.

"What are you..." He could hardly hear his own voice, shocked by the image before him.

"Yuni-chan, she can't..." Kurosugi scrubbed the streaming thick crimson away from her arm, unaware that she was only aggravating her cuts. "Give it back to her. Please. Give it back." She was in near hysterics, her voice rising, almost a scream.

Osamu's eyes widened in horror. Shit. She must've found out.

The wolf child buried her head in between her knees, whimpering. She kept on scratching her arms, as if trying to remove an invisible stain. Disturbed by the sight, Osamu twisted the brass knob and looked down at the trembling girl. Fearing that Kurosugi would get chilled, he slid her clothes off of her, closing his eyes as he did so. He only opened them when he went to get a towel and even then...

Not a word of protest. Another person was undressing her and she didn't even make a move to put a stop to it. There was only her mouth opening and closing, dry sobs squeezing out of her as she looked at her blood-filled hands.

In his head, the image of Kurosugi merged with that of a withdrawn 8 year old, the one with the swollen eye and a broken nose. Just like before, he was too late to do anything.

Too late.

* * *

**A/N:**

So. Three months without an update. Recently I've found out that if I promise to do something regularly, I'm exactly the kind of schmuck who will turn around and do _PRECISELY NOT THAT_ because the big bad schedule is watching me at all times with the eyes of a well-trained hawk. Um, I guess what I really want to say is sorry for who I am as a person, basically.

I find it fitting I uploaded this on the first of April though, because April is Shitenhouji's month— at least to me anyway. I mean, we have:

April 1- No words needed.

April 10- Shitenhouji Day. 4 (Shi) + 10 = Shiten

April 14- Shiraishi's birthday.

Oh, and we have a new cover art! Those two girls beside Yukari, they look familiar too, don't they? Care to guess who? :)

_roe2_


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